


le début de la fin

by kaikoanoa



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya as Vixen, Angst, Chloe as Queen Bee, DJWifi, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Nino as Jade Turtle, Team Bonding, Training, bitch slapping happens, cursing, master fu as mister miyagi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-09-19 08:38:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9430712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaikoanoa/pseuds/kaikoanoa
Summary: A new evil is rising and Fu knows what he needs to do. Theme song is probably https://youtu.be/lnNwMiOWDM0





	1. episode one, the rise: chapter one, welcome

**Author's Note:**

> READ THIS!!
> 
> Hey anybody! This is my first long term project jsyk. (I'm not very good at long term.)
> 
> I have trouble with finishing things and I really wanna keep this story going so if you have any ideas for it, PM me on Tumblr @whenakumasattack and I ALWAYS answer. Help me keep this story alive!! I'm a busy student so I can't guarantee an exact schedule. I just know that the minimum amount of time I'll take on a chapter is two weeks. 
> 
> Like most writers, I'm gonna ask you to please not tell me to update. However, if you see in the comments that do one has said "please update" lately, you can hit me up with one. Just don't go overboard. And comments mean the world to me, so leave a few of those too.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy! :))
> 
> (The idea of Nino as Jade Turtle belongs to @thelastpilot, and I asked permission to use it.)

**FRIDAY, JANUARY 8th, 14:37 PM.**

**ALYA**

"Sorry, Alya," Marinette sighed helplessly. "I really would like to hang out right now but my mom wants me to clean my room and then help in the bakery. Maybe we can have a sleepover tonight?"

Alya looked at all the unfinished papers sprawled in front of her, which only resulted in stressing herself out even further. "It's alright, Mari, I've got tons of work to do anyway."

"You sure?" Marinette asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah. I mean unless we can have a study-over and you help me with all of this." She flipped the camera around on Facetime and displayed the stacks of homework and reviews.

Marinette winced. "Oh, geez. Ladyblog keeping you busy, huh?"

"Tell me about it."

Alya loved akuma attacks. Well, not because someone is getting possessed but because when it happens, she was always in the middle of the moment. She thrived in chaos. Sitting in the hypothetical splash-zone witnessing every movement was when she felt at home. But the downside was that it left her with zero energy. She sympathized for Ladybug and Chat Noir on a personal level.

She heard Sabine faintly calling her daughters name in the background and her friend groaned. "That's my cue. I'll see you later, girl. Love you."

"Love you."

Now, Alya sat alone outside a cafe, downing her fourth cup of coffee in the past hour and a half. She was prepared to not almost fail every class this semester and she was already unbelievably behind in her studies. It was the beginning of the weekend and her younger sisters had a ton of friends over, and those friends also had parents. So, her house was no place to study at the moment.

With the sudden boom in akuma attacks, the Ladyblog demanded her attention, which left no time to study. Therefore, she was struggling. A lot.

"It's B."

Alya whipped around to see the one and only Chloe Bourgeois standing a few feet behind her, leaning against the wall of the cafe. She popped her bright pink bubble gum like she always did while talking to her. "What?"

The blonde sighed and leaned forward, looking her in the eye. "You're working on Mendeleiev's packet, are you not?"

Alya nodded slowly. What was she up to this time? "I am."

Chloe pushed herself back onto the wall and looked away. "Then the answers' B."

"To which one?"

"All of them." She said simply.

Alya looked at her cynically.

"It's a test."

"Obviously." The brunette rolled her eyes.

"No, you don't understand." Chloe shook her head and lazily pointed a polished nail at her paper. "The questions aren't the test, the answers are what she's testing you on."

She sighed and put a hand to her temple. The café wasn't turning out to be any better than her house. "Look, Chloe, I have work to do, so if you don't mind-"

"Geez, Cesaire. You're a reporter, right? You're supposed to be observant." She still didn't move from her spot on the wall. "Wanna know why you failed that last quiz? Mendeleiev is clever. She's testing your knowledge with a pattern. Remember how the first few answers were all D?"

"Uh, how did you know I failed?"

"Then you started questioning yourself, wondering how they could all be the same answer? She wants you to be so sure of what you studied, that even if all the answers were the same, you wouldn't second-guess yourself. Unless, of course," She gave a sly smirk. "you figure out the pattern."

Alya opened her mouth to retaliate but realized that she was right. It made much more sense.

The blonde sniffed and turned her head. "Close your mouth and quit looking at me like that. Your boyfriend's coming and I don't want anyone to think I was talking to someone like you."

Boyfriend? Alya thought while twisting back around to her papers. She stared at them, still trying to understand the strange girl. One minute she's helping Alya ace a crucial test, the next she's saying she doesn't want to be seen talking to 'someone like her'.

Alya was about to turn and ask her what the hell that's supposed to mean, but at that very moment, Nino appeared around the corner of the building, saw her, smiled, and made his way over. Alya shot an incredulous look Chloe's way before quickly turning back to greet him. How did she know Nino was coming from around the corner? That girl sure was more than she let on.

"Hey Al-"

She was torn from thought when Nino smashed his knee into the concrete palisade that surrounded the patio of the cafe. His head disappeared behind it. Chloe burst into a mocking laughter behind her. Alya cracked a smile and leaned over the wall to help him up.

"You good?" She asked.

He looked up, a scrape on his forehead, smiling the best he could. "Never better."

"You idiot." She laughed, helping him up.

He glanced behind her and squinted at Chloe who was still leaning against the wall, trying to look innocent by scrolling absently through her phone. She covered her mouth with her fist and snorted. "Well hello to you, too, Chloe."

Chloe scoffed and her and Alya said in unison, "I'm surprised you even try, Nino."

Alya's phone suddenly went off with Jagged Stone's Ladybug song. Her akuma attack alarm. She checked her notifications for the reported address. It looked to be another revengeful paparazzi. She shoved her work into her bag, swung it over her shoulder, and grabbed her bike.

"Near Gotlib and Astruc." She repeated the sighting out loud to herself.

"Be careful, Alya!" Nino called out. She glanced back, expecting Nino to be persuading her to stay back and stay safe like he usually did, but instead, he and Chloe were jogging away, side by side, a bit closer than a lowly DJ and the spoiled mayor's daughter have ever been.

She rose an eyebrow and pulled out her phone, keeping her eyes on the pair. "Siri, text Soha, Can you cover this attack for me? I'm a little busy."

This was way more interesting than just another angry paparazzi akuma.

They turned the corner and she pedaled after them as discreetly as possible. With the nervousness in Nino's voice, she expected a few mysterious twists and turns in dark alleyways, enough to get her lost, but they literally just walked around the corner and into the local feng shui reader's shop.

What's so secretive about this place? She asked herself while entering. She'd been in there once before a few years back with her mom. It looked pretty much the same. Simple and peaceful. White and dull green walls decorated with ancient Chinese decor and a boatload of vine-y plants.

"Crap." Nino said appearing from the hallway. After seeing her, he facepalmed. "Shoulda expected this."

Chloe appeared behind him. "What'd you do this-" She looked up at Nino in disbelief. "You didn't check to see if she followed us?!"

Nino rolled his eyes. "Chlo, it's not like we assigned roles to who checks if our nosy reporter friend follows us!"

In any other situation, Alya would've been offended.

The shop owner patted the blonde on the shoulder in support. She only frowned.

"Chloe - Chlo? What the hell, Nino?" She sputtered out. This was the strangest trio Alya had ever seen. Some old dude, Chloe, and Nino? Acting all chummy?

Nino gestured toward the old dude with an open palm. "Uh, Alya, this is..." He hesitated.

"Fu, my... first cousin!" Chloe said.

"Twice removed!" Nino added.

"Bullshit." Alya called immediately.

"Dammit." Nino tore off his hat and turned away in frustration.

'Fu' shook his head and dismissed them with a hand. "It's alright, you two."

"But you said-"

"Alya is a chosen one as well."

Nino and Chloe's jaws dropped at that. Chosen one?

The man stepped forward. "Alya, I am Master Fu. Guardian of the Miraculouses."

She held out her hand demandingly "Mhm. Elaborate."

Nino turned back to her and sighed. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped. "Quit looking at me like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Alya drawled out. "Let me just try and act like all of this that I am witnessing right now is totally normal. Really, Nino, Chlo?"

"Of all the things in this room you could be confused about and you're confused about me calling her 'Chlo'?" He asked.

"Yes!" Alya insisted. "Whatever happened to the ACA?"

"ACA?" Chloe interjected.

"Anti-Chloe Alliance." Nino explained.

"Okay, wow," Chloe crossed her arms. "I know I'm a bitch but was making an alliance against me necessary."

Alya thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Probably not but it was fun. We even had t-shirts made."

Chloe threw her hands up in exasperation. "Oh, come on!"

"Girls." Master Fu spoke firmly. He didn't shout or sound angry but the way his voice echoed around the room made them stop.

Nino huffed. "Like Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring. Those are Miraculouses. This guy," He pointed to Fu. "is basically they're the boss. He, uh, guarded their jewels before they were ready to acquire them."

"Wow!" Alya exclaimed, pulling out her phone. But before she could even open the camera app, Nino snatched it from her hands and tossed it into a nearby basket, already containing his own and Chloe's phone.

"Hey!" She protested.

"No phones allowed." Chloe hissed, glancing around as if someone were watching. "Everything that is discussed in here is top secret."

"I don't even know what's discussed in here." She turned toward her. "What are you even doing here, Chloe."

"She's supposed to be here just as much as you are." Master Fu took over the conversation. "Alya, follow me."

She set her hands on her hips defensively. "Why should I trust you?"

Nino set a hand on her shoulder. "You trust me, right?"

"Of cour-"

"Then you can trust Master Fu. You're a chosen one—apparently. He's going to help you, I promise. Go with him."

She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Okay, I'll go."

"Is there anything—or anyone—else we should know about, Fu?" Nino called.

"I'll get back to you on that." He replied, a smile evident in his voice.

She followed Master Fu down the hallway. There were several dark green doors down the hallway, none labeled.

"What's behind all of these?" She asked.

"The bathroom, meditation room, sleeping quarters, library, dining room, and the workout room. Then here at the end is the lounge room, where we're headed."

"Why would you need... all those in your shop? Do you live here?"

"All, well, most of your questions will be answered during our talk. Come now."

They walked to the very end of the and entered into a small square room. In the middle were seat pillows circling a low coffee table. There were a couple of beanbags and other types of comfy seats in the corners. All sides of the room were plastered drawings of people kicking and punching, posters with foreign writing she didn't understand, and colorful children's drawings of colorful characters.

On one wall was a few clusters of pictures and slips of paper leading to each other using a red string. Alya had a few of those herself, but hers were mostly pictures of Ladybug strung to educated guesses scribbled on sticky notes.

The old man sat down and motioned for Alya to sit across from him. She obliged and he pulled two steaming cups of tea from under the table. He must have been expecting her.

"You have a lot to learn," He started. "less to learn than Chloe and Nino have to, thanks to your dedication to your Ladyblog, but a lot. That's why Chloe and Nino have started training before you. They spent hours in the library, catching up on what you already know."

"Know about what?" She didn't touch her tea. Despite what Nino said, she wasn't going to get all comfortable just yet.

"The Miraculouses." He pulled out a sheet of paper with seven detailed sketches. Two of them being Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring, the rest she didn't recognize. "You, Nino, and Chloe are the Chosen ones, alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir. You all have been chosen to hold these very powerful and magical tools."

"You don't mean what I think you mean." She said surely with a small nervous laugh.

He closed his eyes nodded once, sipping his tea. He was so calm for such an exciting moment. " I do."

"No way."

"Miss Bourgeois will be taking on the responsibilities of the Bee Miraculous, Queen Bee, the worker of the Seven." He pointed to the comb.

"The Seven... Miraculouses, you mean?"

"Precisely!" He gave her a knowing smile. "You have done your research. Anyway, your friend Nino will be taking on my past position, the Turtle Miraculous, known as Jade Turtle." He held out his wrist for Alya to see. It was a bracelet with a dark green cord and a flat turtle charm crafted from Jade, hence the name.

He pointed at a necklace with an orange and white pendant shaped like the tail of a fox. "And you, Alya Cesaire, will be acquiring the Fox Miraculous, Vixen."

"You're kidding." She said, pokerfaced. "You're kidding!" She repeated more excitedly. "I'll have a Miraculous just like... Oh my god does that mean we'll get to work with Ladybug and Chat Noir?!"

Master Fu held out his hands. "Slow down. Eventually, you, Queen Bee, and Jade Turtle will, in fact, work with them. But," He said before she could interject. "we still have to get through your basic training."

Alya's disposition fell. "How long is training?"

"We'll be training every day until early March. Then from then on is practice, practice, practice. You all will be working extremely hard during that time, so hard that you may end up sleeping here, hence the sleeping quarters. But for now, your all a secret to everyone, including your parents, siblings, best friend, and Ladybug and Chat Noir. No one can know. It is much too dangerous."

She nodded firmly. "Understood."

"You're taking this surprisingly well, Miss Cesaire." He noticed.

"Oh trust me, I'm screaming on the inside."

He chuckled. "Understandable."

"So," Alya wriggled impatiently. "when will I learn more about all this? When will I get my Miraculous?"

"You'll learn more as your training progresses. You'll get your Miraculous when I see that you're ready. Right now, you should join your team in the front. You all will be spending a lot of time together, so might as well start now. Welcome to the team, Vixen."

She thanked him and found them set in front of the window, watching the current akuma attack. Chloe sat in a chair, propped her chin up on her hand and a hard look on her face. Nino turned and smiled.

"Welcome to the team, Alya." Nino wrapped his arm around his friends' neck as they watched the akuma chaos wrapping up outside the window. "You missed it, Chat Noir got launched like 3 streets over, straight into a post, and his nose started bleeding."

"I swear if Soha didn't get that on camera..." She mumbled. She elbowed Nino lightly and looked at him mischievously through the corner of her eye. "So... how long have you been in cahoots with Chloe?"

He covered his face with his free hand. "I still can't fathom the fact that we're really partners."

She snickered. "But really, how we're you both introduced to all of this?"

"Remember last week when that akuma threw me down the street and Chat Noir caught me?"

She nodded.

"Well, after he left to go finish the fight, Master Fu found me and brought me in saying that he'd actually been looking for me. Chloe was already there, she was in the middle of being chastised for causing another akuma when he saw me. That's when he revealed that we'd become Miraculous holders."

"Sounds exactly what anyone would expect with you or Chloe. You having to be rescued and Chloe having to be lectured."

Nino chuckled and after a second, he looked at her. "Can you believe that we'll be meeting and working with Ladybug and Chat Noir in a few months? Like, the real Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"I've always dreamed of being friends with them, being able to call them up to go to the movies or hang out at the park. Deep down, I knew it was never going to happen. Now hearing that it actually is? I'm still trying to comprehend it all."

Master Fu joined them in the room. Alya looked at him. "So, if you're training us, does that mean you trained Ladybug and Chat Noir as well?"

Master Fu looked up at her for a moment before opening a thin hardback book on the table. "Very good question. I did not, but I'll tell you why." He said, flipping through the pages. He got to one and held it for them all to see. Chloe twisted around to look. "This is the box that holds the Seven Miraculouses. What do you notice about the Bug and Cat jewels?"

"They're sorted differently." Alya said. "They're in a circle in the middle."

"Yin Yang." Chloe said loudly, eyeing Alya. She just rolled her eyes. Of course, she was going to try and challenge her.

"Yes, Chloe, good job. You see, Ladybug and Chat Noir are opposites. Ladybug is Yin, Chat Noir is Yang. She is creation, He is destruction. You can't have one without the other without upsetting the balance. That is why they are specifically set apart from the rest.

"The Bee, Turtle, Fox, Butterfly, and Peacock Miraculouses can work perfectly well in any combination of pairs. The Bug and Cat can work fine in groups, but only together. This means they need different training. They need to learn to connect with one another mentally and spiritually and become closer to become stronger. Understand?"

"I think." Nino scratched the back of his head. "But wouldn't that mean that if they spent enough time together, they could just defeat Hawkmoth on their own?"

Master Fu grimaced. "It's a little more than that. One, having a group is always best in any situation, including fighting. Two, technically they could, but they'd need a certain training to do that. It would take years to master and it's only available through the knowledge of their past lives."

"What?"

"When Ladybug and Chat Noir begin their more advanced training with me, they'll become so connected with not only each other but themselves that they can communicate with the past Ladybug's and Chat Noir's spirits within them. But even if they can, it's unlikely that they would be able to train with them since it takes so long to reach that level."

Chloe sighed. "It's hard to believe that those two are normal teenagers just like us under the mask."

"The concept of the two throughout history has never been understood. Even to this day, every day they never cease to amaze me." He replied.

"Ditto." Alya said breathlessly. She couldn't help it, she was a reporter, always amazed with the hidden truth.

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on the roof of the building in front of Master Fu's shop. They pushed each other playfully, laughing. This would be the moment where Alya would run out and ask for an interview for the Ladyblog. But instead, Alya just stared at them, a glint in her eyes and a smile on her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

And when she opened them, they were gone.

* * *

**MONDAY, JANUARY 11th, 16:40 PM.**

"Sorry I'm late." Alya jogged up to Nino.

He dropped his headphones onto his neck and turned off his music. "What?"

"I said, sorry I'm late. Marinette's having another one of her famous freakouts."

They started down the street to Fu's place. It was a fairly warm day for the middle of January and Alya was glad. She didn't have to waddle around in her whale of a winter coat or peel off her gloves just to check her phone.

"What is it about this time?" He asked.

"That Lila girl." She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I love Marinette, but sometimes I just can't believe her. I hope she won't do anything stupid. You know how she gets when she's jealous."

"Yeah, Lila's pretty cool. I got to talk to her a bit in class. But I did see her around Adrien earlier so that would explain Marinette acting all weird."

Images of Marinette and Lila clawing at each other, ripped fabric and pictures of Adrien flying. "I mean, I get that she's crushing on him and all but she's gotta chill out sometimes. Lila's super awesome."

"Oh by the way, did you hear?" Nino asked excitedly, which was a surprise since Nino barely blinked an eye about anything. "She's met Steven Spielberg in real life! She knows all the Hollywood movie directors. And according to Rose, she knows Prince Ali personally."

Alya pulled out her phone and showed him the interview with Lila that morning. "Yeah! And check this out. She's friends with _Ladybug_! This girl is seriously amazing!"

She watched the video again for the tenth time that day. Lila seemed like someone she could seriously hang with. Alya loves stories and Lila seems like she's got tons from all her travels. Maybe she could convince her to tell her about how Ladybug saved her life.

They pushed open the door to Fu's to see Chloe sitting across from a bored-looking Master Fu, waving her hands around frantically.

"This girl is seriously awful!" She complained loudly. "How come she shows up to Paris out of nowhere are starts claiming things like this? I've never heard of her before in my life!"

Alya grinned elbowed Chloe playfully as she walked by. "Ooh, is someone... jealous?"

Chloe nearly fell out of her chair. "I am NOT jealous!"

"It's okay to admit it, Chloe. Lila's pretty rad." Nino teased.

"I'll bet you anything she's lying!" Chloe growled. "She knows _all_ the Hollywood directors? Come on, Nino, do you really believe that? Ladybug rarely talks to you, Alya, and you run the _LADYBLOG_ for crying out loud! And Jagged Stones' too self-absorbed to write a song about anyone but his stupid alligator and himself!"

"You never know." Nino shrugged, sitting himself down on the floor a few feet from Fu. "There are people like that out there. Just because you've never met them before doesn't mean that they don't exist."

The blonde glared at him.

"Are you really that desperate, Chloe? To pick on some poor new girl just so you can keep your spotlight?" Alya moved closer to her and smirked. Their noses were practically touching. "I think you're just mad cause another princess entered the picture and suddenly little-miss-mayor's-daughter is old news."

Chloe's nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to retaliate.

Master Fu rose to his feet and spoke loudly, hitting a volume none of them had heard from him before. "Stop."

The two girls stepped back.

"You three, this your one and only warning." He said, pointing at them. They unintentionally shrunk back as he stepped up in front of them. Who knew such a small man could be so intimidating. "You are a _team_. Start acting like one. It's time to stop acting like children and start acting like the heroes you were chosen to be. I understand that you three have a bad history, but it's time to forget that. The past is behind us."

Alya wanted to say something. She wanted to yell and tell him that Chloe had made her and her friends miserable every chance she got.

She glanced at Chloe, who was looking at the floor.

Fu took a deep breath and stayed silent for a moment. "How about we go ahead and get started, alright? Today I'll introduce you to a few of our physical exercises we'll be working on."

The girls' locked eyes, faces emotionless, then turned away quickly. The three teens followed Master Fu down the hallway.

Nino fell in line next to her as they exited the room. "I get that you don't like Chloe, I really do. Neither do I. But Master Fu is right, y'know. She's trying to change, Al, can't you tell?"

She sighed. "I know. She's just done so much to me and the people I care about. Every time I look at her I get reminded of those and I just... argh!" She grabbed at her hair in frustration.

Nino laid a hand on her shoulder supportively as they group turned into the library. It looked just like the school library but the size of the average bedroom. In one corner was a small laptop on a wooden table surrounded by seven chairs. In the middle of the room were seven beanbags: red, black, orange, green, yellow, purple, and blue.

"This is where you'll do all your studying and research." Fu said.

"The beanbags are a nice touch." She noticed, plopping down onto the orange one, a real upgrade from the wooden benches she just spent seven hours on.

"You can thank Chloe and Nino for that. After the first few days cooped up in here, they pitched the idea."

"Seriously," Nino groaned, plopped into the green one, and pointed to the chairs. "Seven hours at school and then 3 more on those? Nuh-uh."

Fu pulled one of the books off the shelf. "You'll find these that most of these books are guides and handbooks to all sorts of things that could be useful to you. Here are a few books on martial arts, anatomy and pressure points, human behavior analysis."

She grabbed a behavior analysis one from the nearest shelf and skimmed it over. He led them out and across the hall and into the workout room.

"We haven't spent any time in here yet." Chloe noticed.

"You're about to." Master Fu piped up. "We're beginning our physical training today. Once I finish our little tour, you'll go and get changed into those extra clothes you brought in the other day."

"Finally, we're doing something other than reading." Nino said and Wayzz rolled his eyes.

Alya looked around the room. The workout room was fairly large, the biggest of any of the other rooms. There were tons of machines like she saw when she went with her mom to the local gym such as the elliptical, treadmill, stair-stepper, stationary bike, a few weight lifting machines, and a bunch of other things she couldn't name. Near the door was a single IPad on a shelf with several yoga mats and books about exercising.

"What's this for?" She asked, picking up the tablet.

"A lot of our workouts come from the ancient books dedicated to helping the Miraculous holders train, but some come from a special website I found a few years ago called Darebee. They have top-notch workouts, recipes, meal plans, programs, challenges, and pretty much everything you can think of."

Alya pulled up the website and scrolled through it.

"Some days," Master Fu continued. "I'll have you come in here and I'll tell you to do a certain workout. For example, I'll ask you to do the _Untamed_ workout. You just pull out the tablet and search it up on Darebee. Pretty neat, huh?"

Nino snatched the tablet from her hands. "They have an _Assassin's Creed_ based workout? I have _got_ to try that."

Master Fu chuckled and took it from Nino. He typed something in and pulled up a certain workout. "Like I said, pretty much everything you can think of. Now, try this one."

Alya sincerely thought that she was in shape. She chased superheroes around Paris almost every day for crying out loud. But she hadn't really taken into consideration what the superheroes had to do to make it so hard to keep up with them.

"Kudos to Ladybug and Chat Noir." She said, her voice strained as she somehow managed to perform another plank-jack. Master Fu stood in front of her, his hands neatly folded on his cane. His posture was straight as he stared down at her with eyes like a hawk.

"Shh." He told her. "Don't talk. Just breathe."

She just wheezed.

That day, she'd learned that Master Fu was unbelievably strict when it came to training.

"Being a Miraculous holder is not a small feat and it is not be taken lightly. Especially now." He lectured, his amber eyes furious. "I wish I would've had more time to train with all of you, including Ladybug and Chat Noir. See, Hawkmoth wasn't a big of a deal as this new evil that Wayzz sensed, so I decided to let them learn and train on their own so I wouldn't have to take away their time as a kid before things really got serious. Now things are serious and you three are having all this thrust upon you."

Wayzz appeared from the collar of his shirt and floated by his shoulder. Alya never got tired of seeing a kwami."I'm still not sure how I didn't notice the dark aura before. I sensed Hawkmoth in no time."

"Unless..." Master Fu's brow furrowed before noticing something outside. His face held the expression of pure terror as he ran to the window and gasped. He gulped and managed a fragile "Code red.".

Screams echoed throughout the streets. They were the kind of screams that made your blood run cold. The kind of screams that were so terrified that their sound would never stop ringing through your mind. Adrenaline surged through her veins, fight or flight, stand or run, be a hero or a coward.

Alya leaped to her feet stared into the sky to see a meteorite headed straight for the center of Paris. Her home. Her life.

Alya could now only hear her heartbeat. She couldn't do anything, no one could. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, but she wished it wouldn't. She watched as people sprinted away, holding onto their loved ones. She'd never felt so many things at once in her life: terror, anger, sadness, helplessness. All she could do was watch.

 _Maybe that new evil won't even matter because we'll all be dead. Maybe this is the new evil._ _Who could be so cruel?_

No one in the small shop moved, all wondering the same thing.

_Is this it? Is this really the end?_

She watched as the ball of flames came closer and closer. She was seeing something her eyes wouldn't ever be able to erase. The adrenaline surged through her veins. but she couldn't move a single muscle, not even to scream. The absolute horror paralyzed her, and the more she thought about running, or simply moving, the more he felt discouraged and utterly terrified.

Her life flashed before her eyes as she stared.

Then a blur of orange flew from nowhere and positioned underneath the meteorite. A figure materialized and a girl with long dark hair, an orange suit, and tall orange ears flashed a smile to the crowd before pushed the meteorite back into the sky.

Alya, Nino, Chloe, and Master Fu ran outside.

The girl landed on a roof and stood before the Parisians and the meteorite disappeared back into the sky. "I am Volpina, the only superhero Paris needs!"

She didn't register or even care what the girl said, she was safe. She sobbed with relief. She turned and hugged Nino and Chloe, all three of them laughing crazily, their tears mixing as their faces smashed together.

The city erupted in cheers, chanting her name.

 _"_ Volpina?" Fu whispered. He rushed inside and pulled out the Miraculous box. Sure enough, the fox necklace was still there.

The three exchanged glances and followed him inside.

"What in the hell is going on?" She asked incredulously.

"It's a fraud!" Wayzz cried as they entered the room. "It must be another of Hawkmoth's akumas!"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir probably think it's another hero... We need to tell them!" Chloe realized suddenly.

Fu shook his head, surprisingly calm for such a moment. "The fact that it's a fake is not the problem. The problem is how this person knows about Volpina."

Alya glanced at her necklace, still in the box, one last time before he closed the lid.

"Master Fu, what about that missing book you were talking about?" Chloe offered.

"Could it be?" Wayzz wondered aloud.

He nodded. "I'm afraid that the book has resurfaced and someone has gotten a hold of it. This is extremely serious."

"Well, what are we going to do?" Nino asked.

Alya's mind was still whirling. She wanted to run and warn Ladybug and Chat Noir but she also wanted to run and punch this fake in the face. She may not officially be Vixen yet, but she's the chosen one! How dare some stupid civilian pretend to be her.

He pointed at the three teenagers. "You three are going to stay put. Wayzz, can you contact Tikki or Plagg?"

The green kwami shook his head. "Transformed already."

"Who's Tikki and Plagg?"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir's kwamis." He answered mindlessly.

Fu paced around the room, a hand perched on his forehead in thought. "Let's really hope Ladybug or Chat Noir will figure it out. Wayzz, you stay on alert. If either Tikki or Plagg becomes available, notify them immediately. Alya, Nino, Chloe, you go back in and workout that indoor cardio. We may have visitors and we can't let them know you're here."

"Shouldn't we go home and check in with our families?" Nino asked. "To let them know we're alright?"

"I want you all here just in case. Ladybug and Chat Noir might not... never mind that. Text your parents quickly and then head on back."

Master Fu scurried around the lobby, cleaning up. The three glanced at each other before doing as they were told. Alya snuck a quick text to Soha, telling her to cover this attack.

"I wonder what kind of visitors Master Fu is worried about." Chloe said, her voice still shaking.

Nino tapped away on the tablet. Good ol' Nino, not even fazed by the fact that they could've just died. "Maybe Ladybug'll come. Or Chat Noir. Hey guys, what workout should we do? There are tons to choose from."

Alya wasn't really paying attention. She was still worried about Paris' superheroes. They were smart and she trusted them but if this _Volpina_ chick had the entire city of Paris fooled, who said Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't fall victim?

"Let's try the one Fu mentioned." Chloe offered. " _Untamed_ , was it?"

Alya grabbed the tablet from his hands and checked the Ladyblog.

"Al, chill." Nino said. "Ladybug and Chat Noir got this. Besides, Master Fu'll handle it if anything gets out of control. He said he was going to try and notify them, remember?"

"Yes, yes, I know." She waved him off. "But I'm a reporter, I need to know what's going on."

Nino sighed in defeat.

Alya gasped. "Woah, wait a minute?"

"What is it?"

"Check this out."

She played a video someone submitted only minutes before.

It was a distant video of Adrien and Lila at the park near the school, sitting on a bench and talking inaudibly. He reached forward and took her necklace in his hands before Ladybug appeared from nowhere and landed in front of them.

The camera person ran forward to hear the conversation.

_"Well hey, Lila!" Ladybug said cheerfully. Something was off about her tone, though. "How's it going? Long time no see. I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job."_

_Ladybug put her foot on the bench between Lila and Adrien and leaned closer to her. "Oh, sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFFs! Uh actually, when did I save your life again Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either!"_

Alya nearly choked. This couldn't be the real Ladybug, could it?

_"Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her." Ladybug told Adrien._

_Adrien leaned to see Lila's face, but she covered it with her hands. "So I guess you aren't the descendant of a superhero either?"_

_"More like a super liar." Ladybug smirked._

_"How dare you?!" Lila sobbed, fleeing the scene._

_Adrien called after her then turns back to Ladybug. "Hey, what was that all about? Weren't you a bit too harsh with her?"_

Everyone in the room raised their eyebrows, all impressed that shy, reserved, Adrien Agreste just yelled at Ladybug. _The_ Ladybug. Even the hero herself was caught off guard, stuttering for a moment before replying.

_"I...I don't put up with lies especially when they're about me." She yoyo'ed away before Adrien could say anything more._

_Adrien watched her go, whispering. "What is with you, Ladybug?"_

Alya was thinking the same thing.

* * *

 

**MONDAY, JANUARY 11th, 18:16 PM.**

**MARINETTE**

"I totally called it!" Marinette detransformed, landing on her balcony and catching the book in her hands.

"Marinette," Tikki reprimanded.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"You did a good job, not trusting someone like that so out of the blue, but it was your fault she was akumatized in the first place. A good hero-"

She lowered her head and finished the rest of the saying. "-thinks with her head and not her heart. Yeah, yeah, I know."

"You need to control yourself, Marinette. Especially your jealousy."

"If I hadn't followed them, I wouldn't have found this book." She stood and picked it up off the desk, examining the cover.

"That's not the point."

She set it down and looked at Tikki, cocking her head. "Then what is the point? I saved my chances with Adrien and put a stop to her lies. Besides, even if I did cause an akuma, I defeated it anyways."

"First of all, we didn't know HOW that akuma was going to turn out. What if her power hadn't been illusions and she really did take Adrien and that building really did collapse? Second of all, even if you did defeat her, if it wasn't for Chat Noir, you would've given up your Miraculous TWICE. Third of all, you have to understand that you may be a hero, but you're also a celebrity and people look up to you. Fans will side with you no matter what. Knowing the media, there's probably already tons of articles bashing Lila not only for being seen with Adrien Agreste, but being seen being chewed out by Ladybug."

Marinette was silent.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Marinette." Tikki shook her head.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking." Tears pricked Marinette's eyes. Tikki had never yelled at her like that before. Even though she was totally right, it still hurt. "I need to find a way to fix this."

Tikki nodded firmly. "Definitely. But right now, we have to deal with this book."

She wiped her eyes. "This book could've been my connection to Adrien without my Ladybug mask for once, but I get it I'm not gonna be returning it to him."

"I'm sorry Marinette, but its information is invaluable."

"Information? But it's all written in code."

"I know someone who's been looking for this for a long time. He knows how to decipher the codes."

"So what exactly is so special about this book?"

"It contains all the secrets of the Miraculous powers. It's sacred and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. He needs it back immediately."

"I don't get it Tikki? Just tell me what's going on. Please, who is he?" She urged.

"The great guardian. And I think the time has come for you to finally meet him."

"The great guardian?"

 


	2. episode one, the rise : chapter two, secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which new mysteries are created and inevitable problems are faced.

**WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 16:49 PM.**

**ALYA**

"Can I help you find anything, mademoiselle?"

"Yes, actually." Alya smiled sweetly. She pulled out her phone and showed the employee the blurry picture she'd manage to pick up from the video of Lila submitted to the Ladyblog. "I'm looking for a necklace like this one? My classmate wore it the other day and I just knew I had to have it."

The woman recoiled slightly, her demeanor shifting. "Oh, ah, actually, those got recalled yesterday morning. They were only on the market for three days. We have the rest of the jewelry that was included in that line if you would like to see those." She offered.

"Yes, please."

The lady led her to the wall nearest to the checkout.

Alya rose an eyebrow. "The necklace came from _Gabriel_?"

She nodded. "It's the only piece he's ever recalled. Thank god, too. I could _not_ have that necklace ruining-" She glanced at Alya and trailed off, giving an apologetic smile.

Alya pretended to look around a bit more before purchasing the cheapest pair of earrings she could find and heading out. As she walked out, she pulled her notepad from her bag. She checked 'jewelry store' off her list and scribbled a few notes below.

_-From Gabriel._

_-Open to the public for three days._

_-Only recalled item from Gabriel._

_-Outlier._

_-Accident?_

She pulled out her phone and put in her Bluetooth. "Siri, call Nino."

"Hey, Al. What's up?"

She checked her watch. "I just got finished at the jewelry store. You said Lila had tennis practice after school until..."

"I saw her on my way home at about 17:45 last time so I'm betting she gets out at about 17:30. Better head over there now just in case."

"On it now." She confirmed, crossing the street. "How's Chloe doing?"

She could practically hear Nino rolling his eyes. "Still trying to convince Fu that pushups are pointless and that she doesn't need to do them. She should just give up already."

Alya just chuckled.

"So what did you find out?" Nino asked.

She squirmed with excitement. Talking about her recent discoveries was one of her favorite hobbies. "Alright, so apparently, this necklace was on the market for three days and then recalled by guess who?"

"Who?"

" _Gabriel._ "

"Ooh, the plot thickens." Nino said dramatically.

Alya hummed. "Tell me about it. I saw the rest of the line it was included in. Now, I'm no fashion expert but I'm friends with Marinette and I've picked up a few things. First of all, it was a total outlier and it didn't match any other pieces. Second of all, he recalled it after three days, enough time for it to get to the public."

"So, what are you thinking?" He asked impatiently. Alya squinted at the tennis courts in the distance and checked her watch. People started to pour from the gates of tennis courts.

"Gotta go." She told Nino, keeping her eyes out.

He groaned. "The suspense is gonna kill me."

"It better not. You still owe me twenty bucks."

Nino hung up.

She snickered at him and jogged over when she saw Lila exit. She still wore her tennis practice gear: gray workout leggings, an orange tank top, bright orange tennis shoes, and her hair tied in hair ponytail with a white scrunchie. She slipped on a gray windbreaker and shouldered her bag when she saw Alya approaching.

"Hey Lila!" She greeted.

"Uh, hi, Alya." She murmured and looked over her shoulder, confused, as if the blogger would be referring someone else. She grimaced and wavered on her heels, looking like she wanted to run away. "Look, I don't want to talk about the video or Volpina. I just-"

"No, no, no," Alya insisted. "I'm not here for that. Besides, that wasn't me who took that video. It was submitted by someone and my co-manager, Soha, accidentally accepted it. We deleted it as soon as we noticed, I swear."

Lila sighed weakly. "I appreciate that but that doesn't help the fact that everyone's already seen it."

Two of the of the other tennis players approached them. They smiled at Lila in a way that never meant good things. One of the girls, Adelaide, who Alya knew from school, threw a tennis ball, giving a half-hearted "catch". The tennis ball hit Lila square in the face.

"Tell Ladybug I said hi, _Lie_ -la."

Alya was caught off guard. Adelaide was a generally nice girl and never once had she seen her do anything like that before. She guessed she was _#TeamLadybug_ on Twitter. It was strange how people would change when their idol got involved. Especially Ladybug. Ladybug shows up wearing pigtails and suddenly it's the hottest new style. Ladybug says that she likes Jagged Stone and suddenly everybody's sneaking their headphones into class, trying to memorize his most recent album. Ladybug says she doesn't like painting her nails and suddenly every trace of nail polish in all of Paris has disappeared into thin air.

Lila's eyes flickered toward the two girls. She took in a shaky breath and let it out quickly. She looked down at her sneakers before attempting to make eye contact with her again. She looked so vulnerable. A completely different girl than the one she met on her first day. She'd changed so much since that day. Alya no longer thought of her as this loud, likable, adventurous, teenager, but now as shy, reserved, and mysterious.

She stared at the girls as they strutted off then turned back to Lila. "I'm sorry."

"I...I've gotten used to it." She managed to say then glanced very pointedly at Alya, who already got the message.

Lila blamed her.

She ignored the obvious implication and pointed to her neck. "I really like your necklace, by the way. Can I see it?"

She set a hand around her necklace and looked down at it then looked back at Alya skeptically before taking it off and handing it to her.

"It's really pretty."

_Exact replica._ She thought. Alya relished the feeling of it in her hands. Soon, she'd have one just like this, but with a kwami, magical powers, and badass alter ego included. She smiled to herself.

"Thank you."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Do you mind if I take a picture?" Alya requested as casually as possible. "My best friend Marinette is a fashion designer and I think she would really like this for some inspiration."

"Uh, go ahead." Lila replied awkwardly. She watched as she took the picture, getting a few different angles. "You're talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng from school, right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"What is it?" Alya asked, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"I'm just wondering how you managed to be friends with her. You seem nice but she's pretty bitchy if you ask me."

Alya resisted the urge to smack her. _Well nobody asked you, you little-_

Master Fu's voice echoed through her mind. _"The crucial lesson number one for becoming a hero: keeping your composure with those who test you."_

A petty part of Alya had wanted to point out that Ladybug hadn't done that but she realized that she would just be proving the old man's point. Ladybug got what was coming to her because she broke that rule.

_If you can't deal with a classmate without going off, how are you supposed to deal with akumas?_ She asked herself.

She managed to keep her composure. "Marinette's not stuck up. She's just been really busy lately and tends to get irritable. Once you get to know her, she's the sweetest person you'll have ever met."

"Yeah, okay." Lila said, clearly unconvinced.

"What did she say to you that made you think she's a bitch?" Alya inquired.

"Well, it's more like what she does. On my first day, I sat in her seat, not knowing it was hers, and she told me to get out. Every single time I speak in class, she turns around and scowls at me like insulted her or something. And anytime I try to talk to someone in class, she interrupts us and talks to them instead."

Alya knew exactly what this was all about. Some new girl comes, immediately impresses all her friends and the guy she likes? Marinette's not gonna be too happy. But she didn't tell Lila that.

"She's just, uh, wary of new people." She offered helplessly, scratching the back of her neck. "Marinette's lived in Paris her whole life. She's watched people come and go but she's never been the new kid so she doesn't really understand."

Lila looked at her for a moment before staring at the ground in thought.

"Ah, here's your necklace back."

"Thanks." Lila said in a monotone before walking off.

She watched her go for a moment then made her way back to Master Fu's. She felt bad for the girl. Alya remembered what it was like to be the new kid and sympathized for her. She had had trouble making friends? Lila moved from _Italy_ , a totally different country. And if she wasn't lying about her parents being diplomats, that's even worse. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't blame her for trying to fit in, even if she did use some methods Alya didn't agree with.

As she was walking, her phone buzzed with a notification. A new submission to the Ladyblog. She clicked the play button.

_"Hawkmoth isn't the only enemy? Ladybug debunks teen's claims with a harsh interruption. Practically a punch to the face! Is Ladybug as much of a saint as we thought? Stay tuned for exclusive footage-"_

She frowned and declined the video. Neither Lila or Ladybug needed any more people on their backs about the whole incident. She sighed. Drama is supposed to be her specialty as a reporter, but this was not what she wanted. She opened up the door to the shop and hung up her jacket on the hook near the door. "I'm back!"

Fu, Nino, and Chloe rushed in and surrounded her as she set her bag down on the table. 

"So I...what happened to your nose?" Alya asked, perturbed by the tampon hanging out of Nino's nose. He covered his face self-consciously and looked away. Master Fu snickered quietly.

"I feel off the treadmill." Nino murmured.

She snorted loudly and Nino crossed his arms. "Not funny."

"Yeah, it is." She said, matter-of-factly, snapping a picture before he could do anything. He whined as she set her phone in the basket and out of his reach.

"Don't worry, Fu, I won't post it."

"Oh and Chloe," She tossed the earrings she purchased at her. "I got you something while I was out."

" _Mood earrings_?" She said incredulously and Fu snorted. "How dare you insult me with _mood earrings_ of all things! You know I only wear designer jewelry. How did you even find this piece of trash in the same store as Gabriel?"

Chloe went on and on and she just watched, doing her best not to let her see her laughing. Though she eventually did then threw the earrings back at her, aiming for her face but missing by a meter.

Alya showed them the pictures of Lila's necklace. Master Fu scurried off and grabbed the Miraculous box.

"I'll give you all a recap of what I've found out so far." She explained. "So, this design was on the market then recalled by Gabriel Agreste. From what I saw of the rest of the line it was included in, it was a total outlier. It didn't match any other the other pieces. I'm thinking Gabriel could have sent the wrong plans to the manufacturers by accident. He recalled it after _three days_ , enough time for it to get to the public and for him to notice his mistake."

"But that means he had to have had the designs drawn up anyway." Chloe said confoundedly.

"And if my eyes don't deceive me," Nino said. "this necklace is an exact match to the Miraculous."

"So where could he have found-"

Master Fu stood silently and disappeared from the room.

"Fu?"

He came back a minute later with a large book. "Yesterday, Ladybug came by with this book. I think it will help answer a few of our questions."

"How will this explain how Gabriel found the design for Volpina's necklace?"

Master Fu opened it up and Alya watched as he flipped through the pages. He went too fast for her to see, but she caught a glimpse of Ladybug wearing baggy clothing as opposed to her usual skin-tight suit along with and strange symbols filling the page.

He stopped on a page with her Miraculous, the fox Miraculous.

Before she could say anything, he spoke again. "This is the book I've been looking for for ages, the one I told you all about. She said before she had her... outburst with Lila Rossi, she saw Lila dump it in the trashcan."

"Lila had it the whole time?" The three asked in unison.

"No," He clarified. "Ladybug said that from what she heard before she approached, Adrien Agreste is actually the one who had it. That would explain why Gabriel Agreste had it and why the _Gabriel_ brand—specifically—released the necklace. I'm guessing she took it and used it as a reference to find the necklace."

Chloe scoffed, annoyance evident in her voice. "To impress him."

"Most likely." Nino rolled his eyes.

Alya examined the book, taking in the Vixen page like a sponge and admiring the intricate designs on the cover. "But it still leaves unanswered questions. Why did Gabriel Agreste have the book in the first place?"

Her phone rang with another submission to the Ladyblog. Though she already knew what it was about, she grabbed it and skimmed the article. And of course, it was another reporter's stupid gossip about the Ladybug and Lila ordeal. She declined it as a message came in from an anonymous user.

_Why don't you put any information about the latest video? We're all dying to know the details. You said your blog is all things Ladybug but it's lacking some very important info._

Alya gripped her phone tighter in annoyance and nearly threw it across the room.

Nino leaned over. "What are you doing?"

She groaned and turned off her notifications. "People keep trying to submit videos and articles about what happened, but it's all gossip bashing either Ladybug or Lila. They've started to take sides."

Master Fu looked over at the screen then locked eyes with Alya. "This necklace situation can wait. As Miraculous holders, we need to prioritize. This is our first priority."

"Why?" Chloe asked, inspecting her nails. "It's just some stupid gossip."

"People in Paris and all over the world are bullying Lila." Alya explained with a frown. "And we can't let that get out of hand. We need to find a way to fix this."

"How are _we_ supposed to fix it?" She asked. "Everyone already knows what happened. And besides, neither Ladybug or Lila seem very excited to talk to one another."

"That's where we come in."

"Do I sense a plan?" Nino challenged.

"Indeed. It's not foolproof, but it'll have to work." She exhaled slowly. "Here's the thing, the public isn't going to react if we treat it blatantly. We'll need to work secretly. We need to start another rumor."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't starting another rumor make it worse?" Chloe cut in, a pained expression dawning across her face.

"Not necessarily." Alya replied. "We can start a good rumor. One that will counteract the bad one."

"Oh dear."

* * *

**WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 20:13 PM.**

**MARINETTE**

Chat Noir was quiet during patrol. He didn't joke around or make any puns or any of his usual antics. It had been two days since the whole Volpina/Lila incident on Monday and this was their first patrol together since. She guessed he'd seen the video.

Ladybug was confused. She should be the one being quiet. He should be lecturing her.

She stopped and turned to look at her partner. "Are...are you alright?"

He looked at her solemnly and shook his head. "I saw the video. I just don't get why you would do that. You've never lashed out like that before. Especially at a civilian."

She flushed and turned back around to face the horizon, crossing her arms defiantly. "Well if you saw the video then you heard what I told Adrien. I don't like liars."

He cocked his head. "We've dealt with liars before, LB. What was so different this time?"

"Nothing was different." She insisted. "I dealt with her exactly how I would deal with any other liar."

"That's not the whole truth." He said.

"Yes, it is." She said, irritated.

Ladybug could hear the disappointment in his voice and she gulped. She wanted to shrink back, but she held her ground. "You know, for someone who hates liars so much, you're being fairly hypocritical. I can see right through you, my Lady."

She huffed. "Why do you care anyway, Chat Noir?"

"Ah, so there is more." He moved in front of her and set his hands on her shoulders. Despite the situation, she felt a fire in her burn brighter. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. His eyes were so different in moments like those. The cocky, punning, black cat was gone and instead, it was the eyes of one who loves her deeply. Then he said the words she needed to hear for a long time.

"It matters to me because I care about you, that's why."

Ladybug gave in. She could trust him. They were partners. "I did it because I was jealous."

Chat Noir cocked his head. "Jealous?"

She wanted to tell him why, she really did. But she just couldn't. She sucked in a breath.

An alarm on Chat Noir's baton went off. "Sorry, Ladybug, I gotta go. I'll see you later?"

She nodded. He faltered for a second then vaulted away. She waited a moment more on the rooftop, letting herself finally let go of the breath she'd been holding, then headed home herself. 

She let the brisk winter air maneuver through her pigtails. She loved that feeling. She landed on a building and reached up to take them out but saw something familiar in the corner of her eye. That perfect golden hair resembling a halo, contrasted against the dim scenery around him.

It was Adrien.

Ladybug ducked down and allowed herself to ogle at him for a moment. She smiled deliriously to herself, letting her eyes gaze lazily at him. She got so distracted that she didn't notice a car pull up and him stepping forward to greet the passengers.

Two entered through the gate and a third stepped out from the backseat. When she looked closer, she realized who it was.

Lila.

Ladybug nearly fell from her perch on the roof and growled with revulsion. "What's _she_ doing here?"

She watched her lurch forward and bury her head into Adrien's chest. Jealousy filled Ladybug to the brim. That was supposed to be her in Adrien's arms, his strong arms wrapped around her with love.

She could almost hear Tikki chastising her as she crept forward.

Lila's body heaved and gave quiet sobs into his shoulder. She was crying.

Ladybug went home.

She didn't want to be there anymore. She didn't want to feel jealous or angry at this girl. She just wanted everything to be over.

She told Tikki good night and prepared to have a shower when her phone rang. She picked it up and Alya's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, girl."

"Hey, Alya. What's up?"

"Are you too busy?" Alya squinted, trying to tell if she was or not. "I really need to vent. I know you aren't a huge fan of Ladybug and you don't like Lila but there's no one else I can really talk to."

"No, no. Go ahead." She plopped down on her chaise. She tried not to sigh because she knew exactly what this was about.

"You saw the video of Ladybug chewing Lila out, right?"

_Unfortunately_. She wanted to say.

"Well," Alya continued. "I talked to Lila today just to try and be a good friend and all and freaking Adelaide Johanson comes out of nowhere, hits her in the face with a tennis ball, and calls her _Lie_ -la. Can you believe that? She just told me she's 'used to it'."

Marinette tilted the camera up so Alya couldn't see her face. She covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"I'm really pissed off at Ladybug right now. Like, she should know that anything she does is going to influence people. She's a freakin' superhero! Who _doesn't_ look up to her?"

_I don't._ She wished she could say.

Alya went on for a while. The more she went on, the angrier she got. She became rigid with fury, bringing up every possible point that Marinette could beat herself up over.

"Though I am mad, I'm gonna try and hunt her down tomorrow and help her fix this before things get out of hand. I mean, that was just Adelaide harassing Lila. Now imagine all of Paris. All of the internet. The whole world."

She didn't deserve Alya's help, but she knew she needed it.

"Out of hand?" She echoed weakly, her voice cracking.

"I just don't want her to get depressed and..." Alya trailed off and looked down in shame.

"Sorry, I...I gotta go." Marinette said abruptly, her voice cracking. She hung up before her friend could say anymore.

Marinette let herself soak in the bath for a while. The water lay completely still until she began to cry and her tears disrupted it. She let her head fall completely under and she screamed.

The guilt sat not on her chest but inside her brain. Even if Alya managed to fix it all in the end, it was set in stone.

She wished for a time machine so she could go back, rectify the mistake—the worst thing she'd ever done. However, she could not. She had to live with it. Guilt gnawed at her heart. She wondered how this happened. It all was spiraling out of control. All she was trying to do was get Lila out of her way.

She never meant to cause all this.

* * *

**THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 07:01 AM.**

Ladybug waited nervously on the roof of the building on the corner. She knew Alya passed the area when walked to school in the morning. She scanned the sidewalks for her friends' unmistakable mop of chestnut curls.

Despite her inability to ever wake up on time in the morning. She reveled in this time of day. Morning people were so calm and passive. They didn't chase after her and beg on their knees to take pictures with her like others did, they just simply waved to her and continued on with whatever they were doing.

Though the environmental peace didn't stop her from sweating. She was apprehensive. She knew Alya was gonna be angry with her, for the girl had even said it to her face last night. Well, Marinette's face.

Down below, a shop owner prepared to open for the day, humming along to a song playing on a radio inside. Ladybug watched her as she went, trying to distract herself from her own taunting thoughts. When the lady finished, she grabbed a folding chair and a magazine from inside and seated herself outside. 

She got a glimpse of the cover of the magazine from her perch. It was Alya and Nino... and _Chloe_? On the cover of a magazine? Together? In the same proximity and not at each others' throats?

_I have_ got _to see this._ She thought. She was about to leap forward to get a better look but someone called her name from below.

"Ladybug!"

_Speak of the devil._

She dropped to the ground and came face to face with none other than Alya Cesaire. It was a bit strange at first since she was usually met with a camera in her face. But this time, she didn't even seem to have her phone with her.

She tried to not look like she'd been sweating through her suit about this talk for the past fifteen minutes. "Oh, uh, Alya! Hi! Is something wrong?"

"No, no, I'm fine. But, I do need to talk to you. You got time?" She looked around at a few pedestrians watching and pointing. Ladybug got the message and scooped the girl up in her arms. She took her to the roof of a building a few blocks down from the bakery.

"I've got time. So, what's going on?" She asked innocently as she could.

"I'm here to talk to you about the Lila incident." She held out her hands. "And before you do anything, I'm not here to be a reporter, I'm here to help."

She wanted to sigh with relief but only nodded stiffly.

"I run the Ladyblog, right? I'm your biggest fan. So don't get offended when I tell you this."

Ladybug cocked her head.

"What you did was really bitchy."

Silence filled the air for a beat. She expected Alya's face to fill with horror. Not just any horror, but the realization horror. Like, "O _h shit did I just say that to Ladybug?"_ kind of horror. But it didn't. The reporter held her ground, her disposition never showing any signs of weakness.

"You're right." She admitted, grimacing in contrite. "I know I was in the wrong and I've been trying to find a way to fix all this but the girl really hates me. I can't talk to her."

Alya almost appeared happy and shifted into a look that Marinette knew well. Her scheming look. "I was hoping you'd say that. This is why I'm here. See, you really hurt her and I don't think you're going to come back from that anytime soon."

Ladybug's disposition fell. "Yeah..."

"But lucky for you, I have a plan."

"I don't deserve your help." She crossed her arms and looked away, her back hunched in shame.

"You're right, but I'm going to help you anyway.

But, we can start a new rumor. A better, helpful, and positive rumor. Just to get the media off of your backs."

If anyone else in the world has said that, she would have disagreed immediately. That just seemed like a recipe for disaster. However, this was Alya Cesaire who was helping. Alya Cesaire: Owner and Creator of the Ladyblog and _#SocialMediaQueen_. If she trusted anyone with this, she trusted Alya.

She gulped. "Alright..."

Alya suddenly took on a pale look, as if she'd been painted with whitewash. Then with one step forwards she crumpled into Ladybug's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> Sry for that cliffhanger. Drama is about to start hooo boy.


	3. episode one, the rise : chapter three, fix you/us/this/paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nooroo is savage but is a total truther, Adrien is done with Lila's shit, Chat Noir brings out the puns, and Ladybug discovers her problem is just what she was afraid of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!! thoughts of suicide.

**THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 06:40.**

**GABRIEL**

"Dammit!" Gabriel shouted in frustration, slamming the safe door.

"Nice job." Nooroo said flatly. "You lost the priceless over-five-thousand-year-old book that I specifically told you _not_ to lose."

"I didn't lose it." He snapped.

"Then where is it, _Gabe_?" He sneered, knowing his holder hated the nickname. Gabriel wondered what ever happened to the Nooroo who feared him. _Those_ were the days. "First of all, you know you shouldn't have had it in the first place, so you had this coming to you from day one. Second of all, the only other possibility is that someone stole it, which I highly doubt.

"Why?"

"Give me a break." He rolled his eyes. "Nathalie and the Gorilla see so much happen in this mansion that they just tune it all out and probably don't have a clue about the safe. Besides, why would they risk their very-well-paying job for some book they would think is just another one of your fashion sketchbooks. And Adrien? Even if he saw anything he'd probably just ignore it, for fear of you taking him out of school. In conclusion, you lost it."

Gabriel thought a moment. "No. You don't know Adrien like I do."

"With your parenting, I doubt that."

Gabriel's nostrils flared. "How dare y-"

Nooroo flew in front of his face. "I don't care about your obsession with your dead wife-"

"She's not dead." He growled.

"You think bringing her back would solve Adrien's depression but you're too stupid to realize that he's depressed because of you. You two are more like business associates than father and son. You never spend time with him cause you're too busy trying to fix everything when _you can't_! Things like this happen, Gabriel. It's life!"

"If I have the chance to bring back my partner, other half, and love of my life, you better be sure as hell I'm going to take it." He barked. "Bringing her back will fix us, I just know it."

"Fix you?" Nooroo asked. "What about that fact that you've neglected your son for the past year and a half? What about Paris? Bringing her back isn't going to _un-PTSD_ all those akuma victims. Bringing her back isn't going to change you and Adrien. She's gone. Stop focusing on what you can't change and focus on what you still can!"

Tears gathered in Gabriel's eyes and he tore off his Miraculous, Nooroo disappearing with it. He tossed his glasses on the table and leaned over it, staring at himself in the dull reflection.

"She's not dead." He choked out with a sob. "I'll bring you back, my love. I promise, I'll bring you back."

 

**THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 07:00.**

**ADRIEN**

Adrien's face was caked with sweat—despite the near-freezing temperature—making his hair stick to his forehead. Meanwhile, Lila didn't seem fazed at all.

"Thanks for coming to practice with me." Lila said casually. She swung her racket at the ball in a way that Adrien knew had a name but was so exhausted that he couldn't remember what it was. It was a backhand... or something like that.

"No...problem." He panted.

Lila only just then seemed to notice that he was dying from exhaustion. She cocked her head in confusion, as if she'd never witnessed such a thing.

 _Are all tennis players this way?_ He thought _._

"Do you wanna take a break?" She asked slowly, like she wasn't sure that that was what he really wanted. He nodded, stumbled his way over to the bench, and practically inhaled his water.

She joined him, taking a sip of her own water then staring off into the skyline.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her cautiously.

Her face contorted and she blushed. "Yeah... I'm fine."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm really sorry, by the way." She said suddenly. "I know that last night was supposed to be a nice dinner but I guess I kind of ruined it with all my crying, huh?" She chuckled coldly.

"You didn't ruin it." He assured her.

"I just..." Lila shivered but he had a feeling it wasn't because of the cold. "I just don't have anyone else to go to, y'know? You're the only person who has really stuck up for me. And right to Ladybug's face, too."

Adrien's couldn't help but grimace at his action. Ladybug deserved that, no doubt about it, but he still couldn't fathom the fact that he did that. He yelled at her. Ladybug. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to crawl into a hole and cry.

Lila saw his expression and shook her head. "I just don't get everyone's obsession with her. I mean, what's all the hype about?"

Adrien choked. " _What's all the hype about?_ " He echoed in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"W-Well," He stammered. "she's Ladybug!"

"So? Underneath that mask, she's just another Parisian like rest of you."

"Yes but that Parisian has a secret alter ego that saves people's lives on a day to day basis." He found himself rambling but couldn't stop. "She's smart, sophisticated, kind, adventurous, empowered, hardworking, independent, gorgeous, quick-witted, talented, and not to mention totally badass. She's just so amazing..."

 _And I love her._ He wanted to finish.

She was silent for a while. "She doesn't seem that way to me."

"She's never acted like that before." He told her. "I don't know what came over her."

"Her true colors, that's what." Lila spat.

Adrien was getting ready to _'backhand or something like that'_ her across the face. He managed to keep his composure and changed the subject before he snapped.

"So how are you liking Francois Dupont?" He asked.

"It's okay, I guess." She said insouciantly.

"You guess?" He asked.

"I like my classmates...mostly. Don't even get me started on Marinette." She trailed off as if Adrien should know what she was talking about.

"What?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She repeated. "The pigtailed brat that sits behind you?"

This subject change didn't seem to be turning out well.

"You don't like Marinette?" He asked incredulously. How could anyone dislike Marinette?

"She's rude to me." Lila explained bluntly. "She's always cutting me off and staring at me like I insulted her heritage or something."

Adrien scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't even _imagine_ Marinette acting like that. "That's... that's just bananas. Marinette is super cool. Maybe she's just had a bad past few days."

The girl opened her mouth to say something but the alarm they'd set on both of their phones went off. He gathered up his stuff as fast as he could. He turned to leave the tennis courts but Lila appeared in front of him. He jumped nearly half his height and dropped his bag. _She has_ got _to stop doing that._

"What's the rush?" She asked, handing his stuff back to him.

He slipped on his jacket. "If I'm not back soon I'll be in really big trouble. Can't risk it."

She nodded. "I'll see you in class."

"Yeah. See you."

He shouldered his pack and started on the way back to his house. Plagg appeared from the depths of his workout bag and situated himself in the collar of Adrien's windbreaker.

"Ugh, it smells disgusting in there." He complained.

"Says the one who's favorite food is Camembert. If anything smells disgusting, it's you."

Plagg flicked the end of his holders' nose. "Suck it."

Adrien's brows furrowed. "You suck it."

"Why don't you tell that to your precious Ladybug?"

Adrien dug out his earbuds and turned the volume up to max.

He soon arrived home and collapsed down on his couch, utterly exhausted. Sure, he played some non-stop hardcore tennis, but the most exhausting part was listening to his new 'friend' complain. He didn't enjoy sitting around listening to Lila denounce and insult his friends, though he knew why he needed to. He was the only one there (other than the nosy reporter stalking them) who saw how harsh Ladybug really was. Besides, his father and her parents already knew each other so he couldn't throw her under the bus even if he wanted to.

His mind wandered back to that day. His partner's bluebell eyes had burned with a fire he'd never seen Zon her before. But he had seen it. Jealousy. But why would _she_ be jealous of _Lila_? The question had been on his mind since Ladybug admitted to him that that was why she went off.

He sighed. He did not like to be involved in such drama.

Plagg fell onto the arm of the couch lazily. "I'm tired."

Adrien frowned. "Plagg, I was the one that had to play tennis and listen to her rant for an hour. You didn't even do anything, you just ate cheese the entire time."

The kwami perked up. "Speaking of cheese..."

He groaned and rolled over onto his back. "Go get it yourself."

Plagg huffed and zipped off, murmuring. "Must I do everything myself?"

Adrien took a deep breath, attempting to enjoy his temporary peace and quiet but instead got a whiff of his own body odor consisting of sweat and camembert. He gagged.

Not even his level of laziness he'd achieved in life could hold him back from taking a shower. As he made his way to the bathroom, he checked the time. He still had a bit over half an hour before school began.

Just as he was about to turn on the water, the ground beneath him tremored so violently that he stumbled and fell flat on his face, giving himself a bloody nose.

"Great." He sighed.

He heard screams from down the street and he forgot about his bloody nose, extreme body odor, and utter exhaustion. He called Plagg and transformed. He followed the sounds of chaos and came face-to-face with something he hadn't expected. Ladybug was crouched next to... was that Alya?

Alya lay on her back in front of Ladybug, a green light glowing around her. From her chest was sprouting a tree that kept growing, covering more and more of her body. Her face became gnarled and soon disappeared within trunk around her. The area around her filled with warmth. Everyone could only watch.

A girl about his age approached. She had green eyes and dark wavy hair, raked back and decorated with a crown of leaves. She wore a tight dark green suit with a vine around her waist. Around her neck was a brown and white beaded necklace, which he guessed was the akumatized item.

She was smiling. She had a nice smile for an akuma.

Ladybug broke from her trance and growled. "Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing?"

The akuma looked at her with kind eyes. He'd never seen such a passive looking akuma. She spoke with a voice as soft as silk. "I am Natura and I am fixing Paris."

A ball of green fire appeared in her hand and she aimed at Ladybug. She managed to get out of the way, but the beam hit a civilian attempting to run away. A plume of smoke blew away in a soft breeze and in their place stood a simple stalk of corn, more appearing around it as the seconds went by.

The citizens suddenly scattered in all directions but to no avail. They all morphed into all sorts of plants, covering the asphalt and climbing up the sides of shops and homes with vivid green. He spotted vegetable gardens and flower beds among the transformations.

The strange part was was that her trusting smile never faded as her fire hit the Eiffel Tower.

Though it was in front of him, Chat Noir couldn't fathom what was there. The earth shook beneath them as a trunk the size of the monument that used to stand there germinated from the ground. Layers of gnarly bark folded over each other and overlapped. Buildings were trampled by its roots that just kept growing. Its branches stretched out across the city, the canopy of above was distant, like clouds of green. It's vines snaked up and around anything in its path, including the Parisians themselves, dragging them into the mass.

In the Eiffel Tower's place stood a giant sequoia. Well, more like a sequoia, redwood, and oak all morphed into one. Translation for non-nature freaks: hella huge.

He couldn't help but stand in awe. He'd never seen so many plants at once. He'd never seen that much green at once, for that matter. He'd never seen something so massively and overwhelmingly beautiful. The morning sun left unusual shadows across the land along with the few twinkling streetlights hidden beneath. It felt like an enormous forest with a summer-nights-in-Paris undertone. If it weren't for the dash of akuma stirred into the mix and the fact that his city he knew and loved was ruined, he wouldn't have minded it. It was a sort of relief to finally see some green and feel some warmth after a long and dull winter.

Even Ladybug was impressed and she just saw her number one fan turn into a tree.

Natura set her hand on the trunk and gazed around at her work with a genuine smile.

Oh right, the akuma.

"You won't get away with-" Chat Noir started to say, but Natura ignored him and swung away using the vines from the tree-turned civilians, obviously uninterested. "Rude."

"I'll fix you, Alya. I promise." He heard his partner whisper. She appeared next to him and spoke nervously. "We need to catch her akuma ASAP."

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped suddenly and looked over at him, only just then noticing the blood still dripping from his nose. "What happened?"

He covered it self-consciously. "I fell."

She tried to take a deep breath in to signify her annoyance with him but ended up getting the same whiff of death that he had. She dry-retched.

"Is...is that you?" She asked weakly.

He sighed. "I haven't got the chance to shower yet."

"You smell awful." She thought for a moment then said finally, "Go take one."

"N-Now?" He asked, gesturing to the pandemonium unfolding around them.

She was holding her nose with her fingers. "I can't work with you while you smell like that. Just hurry up. I'll be at the park near the Dupain-Cheng bakery." And she swung away before he could say anything more.

 _She's got to be joking. Sure, I smell awful but I can't smell bad enough for Ladybug to delay an akuma fight and tell me to take a shower. Right?_ He sniffed himself and his eyes started to water. _On second thought perhaps she's right._

He ran off back to his house, took the fastest valid shower of his life (while also choosing the shampoo with the most enticing smell to make it up to her), ignored Plagg protests and transformed, and sprinted the whole way to the park.

Ladybug was hopping from roof to roof around the park impatiently. He landed next to her and she didn't even flinch. "Ready to go, my Lady?"

She carefully leaned over and smelled him and he blushed from embarrassment. "Ocean breeze. Nice choice. I saw the akuma heading down S. Lee street. Necklace?"

"Most likely."

She nodded firmly. "Let's roll."

For the first time since the akuma attack started, he felt uncomfortable. He and Ladybug knew Paris better than anyone. They could navigate it with their eyes closed. But now the flat surfaces beneath his boots were rough and gnarled, totally throwing him off. The only green he was used to seeing was the small patches on the ground and in the trees. He's seen a mass of nature before from a plane, but not like this. It was overwhelming.

They followed the akumas trail for a few minutes, barely missing her as she rounded corners until she stopped in a clearing and unknowingly gave them the chance to catch up.

"There she is!" Ladybug whispered to him, pointing ahead. Natura was poised gracefully on a large root aiming her fire at... Well there goes the Trocadero.

"Follow my lead." She said, gaining speed and running on the side of the building next to Natura. Chat Noir mirrored her, cornering the girl.

Ladybug spun in mid-air, kicking Natura in the gut and sending her flying toward Chat Noir. He caught her but she thrashed around, elbow the side of his head, and managed to escape and scramble for the dense trees below.

Ladybug's nodded her head toward the rooftop and he knew what she meant (thankfully since his ear was still ringing and wouldn't be able to hear her anyway). He did his two-finger salute before diving into the trees to follow the akuma.

The plants created a sort of tunnel down the street. Bark grew over the windows of the buildings on either side, trapping civilians inside. People screamed for him and he felt guilty for ignoring them.

 _Focus on the source._ He reminded himself.

Suddenly the space in front of him filled with the green fire of Natura. The umbrella of oak leaves above began to become so thick that it looked more like a wall than a plant. So jumping out of the way was no option. He pulled out his baton and spun as fast as he could in front him. Stupid? Probably. But it was better than trying to run from a column of flames.

Good news, he didn't transform into a palm tree. Bad news, he got shot from the ceiling of leaves (which hurt on its own) then shot across the city, the opposite direction of the akuma.

He flailed around in the air for a minute before finally giving up and crashing through a conifer and into a rose bush. He squirmed and managed to get his baton arm free. It extended and sent him shooting through the top and up to see where he landed.

He recognized the area. The stupid akuma had hurled him clear across to the Charles de Gaulle airport. He picked a thorn from his suit and made his way back to the fight.

Now that most civilians were either a plant or hiding to avoid becoming a plant, the streets echoed only with the eerie repetitive cry of car alarms. He appeared next to Ladybug, who stood on top of an intact roof, staring up the akuma who was in the middle of 'fixing Paris'.

She glanced at him, the pink haze of her yoyo distorting her small smirk. "Look who finally decided to show up."

He shrugged. "I couldn't afford to miss my flight."

Ladybug gaped. "You ended up all the way at the airport?"

He turned toward Natura and shouted with a smile. "Hey, Treehugger! Guess who's back by _poplar_ demand?"

Ladybug scowled.

Natura approached them and held out a hand, a ball of blinding green forming. Her out-of-place yet gentle smile formed into the one that akumas usually wore while destroying the city. The ball shot straight at Ladybug, who, thank goodness, leaped out of the way just in time.

"Hey, _leaf_ my lady alone!"

Ladybug facepalmed.

Natura stopped and rolled her eyes. "Okay, c'mon. If your gonna make plant puns, at least make them good."

"I think it was pretty _oak_ -ay."

Ladybug exhaled exasperatingly at him and took a step toward the akuma, but she summoned her flame and formed a wall of cactus in front of her. She froze and looked cross-eyed at a thick needle pointed right between her eyes. She blinked and rose an eyebrow up at Natura.

"Y'know, I was starting to take a _lichen_ to you but you're turning out to be a real _prick_." Ladybug said simply.

Natura gaped at the unexpected pun, which gave Ladybug time to summon her lucky charm. Into her hands fell a...

"A glove?"

"Great." Chat Noir said sarcastically. "A glove. What are we supposed to do with that?"

A flash of light appeared in between them and in its place grew a patch of vegetables of all sorts. Carrots, broccoli, beets, and cucumbers. Chat Noir pounced on the akuma, doing his best to distracted her while his partner figured up a plan.

Ladybug scanned the area, her vision highlighting three things: Her glove, her partner, and a mess of vines hanging from the tallest tree in their vicinity. She scowled.

"Some direction would be nice right about now!" Chat Noir called, fighting baton-to-hand combat with the akuma, who was only getting angrier.

She grabbed him by the tail and swung her yoyo a street over.

"Get back here!" Natura shrieked.

Chat Noir snorted as they disappeared from her sight. "Give it up already, Natura! You know you can't be _beet!_ "

The two landed on a somewhat intact part of a roof that had caved in Natura's rampage. Another collective scream filled the air and she winced. He set a hand on her shoulder supportively and she nodded stiffly.

If this plan isn't executed correctly, we could lose. For good." She warned him.

As she told him the plan, he realized that she was right. He didn't like it. But he knew it was his job, no matter what. He accepted being Chat Noir, Plagg and all, when he transformed for the first time.

"Alright," He gulped. "I'm ready." But he was totally not ready. Natura was making him nervous. Really nervous.

The peeked to the next road where the akuma was nature-ifying any sliver of Paris left that she could find.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all..." She said wearily, watching Natura become more aggressive with every shot. Things were staring to get scary and they both knew it.

He understood her reluctance with the plan. It was riskier than usual since Ladybug had already used Lucky Charm and he still had Cataclysm. They wouldn't have a way to escape whatever happened to them if Chat Noir was turned into a plant. Ladybug was going to detransform soon and there was nowhere in sight to find cookies for her kwami.

But he couldn't stand seeing his city the way it currently was. At first it was all kind of cool. Now it just wasn't... Paris.

"Don't worry, I can handle it." He insisted, trying to ignore his own nervousness. "Go!"

"What?" She shouted. "No! I'm not leaving you."

"Your lucky charm said this was the plan, so let's do it."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice." He winked. "Just don't let her turn me into something stupid like corn, okay?"

Ladybug glared at him like she was going to punch him. And then she did something that surprised him even more. She kissed him.

"Be careful, Chat Noir." She whipped out her yoyo and zipped away.

He probably would've sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the trees and trying to remember what his name was, but the akuma screeching at the top of her lungs jarred him back to reality.

After deciding that he could die about Ladybug kissing him later, he leaped into action.

"Hey Treehugger!" He dove and hid behind a bush.

"My name is Natura!"

"Okay, _Natura_ ," He drawled out. "Aren't you nature freaks supposed to be peaceful and loving and not..." He gestured to her up and down.

"Not when we see careless and ignorant people like you treat out earth so horribly! I tried to be nice but no one listened. Trust me, when I'm done here, you'll love the new Paris much, much better." She called. A purple outline of a butterfly appeared over her face and she growled. "But there are circumstances I have to fulfill, which includes you handing over your Miraculous."

She held out a hand expectantly and he scoffed. "Yeah okay."

She flicked her wrist and a ball of green flew at him but he evaded it.

"Where is Ladybug?" Natura demanded.

"Up your-"

She shot at him again.

He glanced at his partner, sneaking up behind the akuma. Natura followed his gaze.

"Hey!" He yelled and she whipped back around before she could see. He rushed forward and back-kicked her onto her butt. Natura growled and extended her hand to fire at him as Ladybug approached with the glove from behind.

It burned. It stung through his suit and took over him. He felt like his limbs are falling off and he collapsed onto the street. He screamed.

His vision waved and he watched as Ladybug nearly kicked Natura's head into the ground.

Then what happened next was strange. All his pain disappeared (or maybe he got used to it, he couldn't tell) and he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. He just watched, staying completely still, unable to move a muscle.

His partner knelt beside him. She reached out to touch him but pulled away. "I'll fix this, Chat Noir. Don't worry."

Ladybug turned and wrapped the string of her yoyo around Natura's torso wrists. The akuma kicked up and flipped over, causing Ladybug to land on her back only to get dragged by her own weapon. Natura tried to spin around to throw the heroine but failed. Ladybug twisted around and became a blur. When things slowed down, Natura's hand was extended toward the sky, a red and black spotted glover covering it, and she shot before she realized what happened.

The blast backfired and around her hand grew a tree, immobilizing her and pinning her to the ground. Ladybug snatched the necklace and tore it in half, the beads scattering. She retrieved her yoyo and purified the akuma.

"Bye, bye, little butterfly."

Natura screams of protest were drowned out as she was enveloped in purple. It disappeared, leaving a girl who looked to be about his own age. She had raked back, curly, chocolate brown hair, and freckled tan skin. She wore a plain red shirt, rolled up jeans, and was barefoot. He so caught up in watching her transform back that he forgot that he wasn't a plant anymore.

Ladybug tackled him with a hug and mumbled into his collarbone. "I let her turn you into corn."

He just chuckled. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. He was still speechless after the kiss. He blushed from the thought of it.

Ladybug let go and they made their way over the akuma-now-civilian. The girl was looking down at herself and as they approached, a look of realization dawned across her face.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir!" She stood hastily and greeted them. "I'm sorry for any damage I caused. I was just trying to give a speech and no one was listening and..." She trailed off helplessly.

"No worries..."

"Kaia." She smiled warmly.

"Kaia." Chat Noir nodded. "What was your speech about? Maybe Ladybug and I can help?"

Kaia's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course."

"I'm trying to spread the word about reducing our carbon footprint here in Paris."

"Where do you live? We can stop by sometime this week to discuss it." He opened up the map on his baton.

She entered her address and Ladybug's earrings beeped.

"We'll see you soon?" He confirmed.

Kaia nodded excitedly and the duo made their way to the rooftops.

Ladybug's miraculous beeped once more with two spots left. She grabbed her yoyo and prepared to swing away but Chat Noir spoke before she could.

"You keep making puns like you did today, my lady, and _thistle_ be an everlasting love." He warned her playfully.

"Everlasting? Ain't nobody got _thyme_ for that."

"I'm feeling the chemis- _tree_ between us, bugaboo. Aren't you?"

"Keep it your _plants_ , Chat Noir."

"But _aloe_ -ve you!"

She rolled her eyes. "I gotta go."

"Watching you go always kale-s me." He set a hand over his heart.

Ladybug chuckled. "Good night, Chat Noir."

"Wait!" He called out. She stopped at the edge of the roof and turned to look at him. "Are we gonna talk about what happened?"

"Don't get used to it." She said immediately.

His disposition fell. "It didn't mean anything, did it?"

"Of course it meant something." She said. "I depend on you, Chat Noir. We depend on you. Paris... Paris depends on you. I just-" Her Miraculous beeped with only one spot left and she left without another word.

Despite his confusion, he watched her go with a hand over his heart.

 

**THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 19:54.**

**LILA**

The Parisians didn't take the article very well.

When blog covered a video taken by a passerby of Ladybug telling Lila off, it went viral. People soon made the connection that she was the most recent akuma, Volpina. Not only did she piss off Ladybug and Chat Noir fans, but Adrien Agreste fans. And combined, that was all of Paris.

People recognized Lila in the streets despite her identity never being given. They pushed past her, called her names, spat on her shoes, whispered insults in her ears, threw eggs at her, and someone even took a garbage can and dumped it on her head.

"How pathetic!" Someone snickered at lunch. "What an attention whore!"

"Happy now, Lie-la? You're finally getting all the attention you want. All of Paris can't stop talking about you!"

She cried every night. No one understood the feeling of knowing that all of France hates your guts.

Lila sat on the edge of the roof of her building, her legs dangling over the edge. It was cold out and her skin flushed. She shivered and looked over the city that was now her home.

She scoffed to herself. What a home it was turning out to be.

"I'm pretty."

"I'm popular."

"I'm talented."

"I'm cute."

"I'm smart."

"I'm a liar."

"I'm just a normal girl with a normal life. I'm allowed to want to fit in. I'm allowed to have a crush." She spat.

Lila imagined herself standing from the very spot she was in, not a thought aside from the desperate need to escape. She would fall forward and off the building. She'd no longer have to endure it all. One step and she'd be gone, no one to stop her.

Yeah. That seemed like a good idea. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly rising to her feet.

She'd always wanted to fly, but she always drowned. Now she could. She could be floating, nothing weighing her down.

_She took a step forward. And suddenly her life flashed before her eyes._

_No. I change my mind. This can't be it. I'm not done yet. No..._

Ladybug watched from a distance as Lila stood, dusted herself off, and stepped down from the edge. She crossed her arms against the wind.

"I'm stronger than this." She chastised herself aloud. "I'm Lila Rossi. I am smart, independent, and beautiful and I will show Ladybug. I'll show them all."

Ladybug shivered, a bitter taste in her mouth.

Lila opened up the door to the stairwell of the building but turned back and took a deep breath.

She extended her middle finger at the horizon. "Suck it, Paris!"

And with that, she disappeared.


	4. episode one, the rise : chapter four, sunsets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien is kinda stupid, Chloe is insensitive (what else is new?), Alya takes initiative and Ladybug gets dunked on.

**FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 15:50.**

**ALYA**

Marinette was quiet. Too quiet.

Every day after school, Alya and Marinette hung out in the courtyard for a while before she had to leave and help her parents in the bakery. This was the time that Marinette would use to tell all her crazy cold-pizza-at-midnight-induced dreams and rant about people's fashion statements. But today, she sat on the steps, quietly tapping away on her IPad, skipping from trying to finish her homework to working on her current designs to mindlessly admiring pictures of Adrien.

"What's going on?" Alya asked her, poking her shoulder lightly.

They both watched as Chloe and Sabrina walked down the steps and out of sight. Marinette's eyes lingered for a moment before she sighed.

"Nothing." She didn't make eye contact. "Just tired."

Alya knew that Marinette knew that she knew that that wasn't true. She suspected her friend had noticed her with Chloe some way or another. Things tended to fly over the girls' head, but she wasn't stupid. But if she did know, it was only Alya's carelessness at fault. Fu had specifically told them it was going to be hard to balance their secret life with each other.

Marinette looked up and her eyes narrowed at something behind over Alya's shoulder. She whipped around to see Adrien clearly making his way over to them.

"What's he doing?" She asked, standing and bouncing on her feet nervously, forgetting whatever was bothering her before. "Why is he coming over here?" She didn't seem to notice but Adrien didn't look very happy. He approached them and her friend smiled awkwardly.

"Hi, A-Adrien!" She stammered. "How are y-"

"Sorry, Marinette. I really need to talk to Alya in private. Can you leave?" It seemed more like a command than a question as he stepped in between them.

Alya gaped and glanced over at Marinette, who seemed just as shocked. 

"Uh yeah..." She said meekly. She shouldered her pack and waved a half-hearted goodbye before scurrying off.

Alya waited until she was gone before punching Adrien's shoulder. "What the hell was that?"

"What are you talking about?" He cocked his head in confusion.

" _Can you leave?_ " She mocked him in her best 'socially awkward rich teen model' voice.

"What so wrong with that?"

"It was rude!"

"Well, I needed her to leave!" He defended. "I can't let what I need to talk to you about getting out. Besides, she's a part of it."

Alya rose an eyebrow. "We'll talk about your social incompetence later. What were you going to say?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "It's about Lila."

"What about Lila?"

"I know that you're trying to resolve this whole Lila and Ladybug thing. I can tell because I was thinking about doing it too. Anyway, you better do it quick cause I have some news."

He looked around cautiously and leaned in. "Lila... she almost killed herself last night."

Alya choked. The news passed through her like a hurricane. Everything she and worked and struggled for lay in ruins. "W-What? How? How do you know?"

"My dad has known Lila's parents since forever. That's why I've been hanging out with her."

She made a mental note to tell a paranoid Marinette that later.

He continued "She called me up last night and told me that she nearly committed suicide and she needed someone to talk to. I was going to try and get her into some sort of therapy later today."

"Oh geez." She rubbed her neck. "Good idea. Is she okay as of now?"

"She's physically fine. But I don't think she can take much more of this, Al."

She nodded. "I'm gonna try and contact Ladybug ASAP. Now, you said Marinette had a part in this. What's that all about?"

"We both know Marinette." He said slowly. "You especially. I was talking to Lila about how she was liking Paris so far, aside from the obvious situation at hand, and she said that she doesn't like Marinette. I thought, out of all the people in our class, including Chloe, she mentions _Marinette_. I was confused so I thought I'd come to you."

Alya sighed. She knew exactly why. "Chloe's probably playing the Regina George card. I think we can both agree on that. But don't worry about Marinette. I'll talk to her. Just try and convince Lila to not hold anything against her. She'll be back to normal in a few days."

Adrien thought for a moment and his face contorted. "Is Marinette on her dot?"

Alya blinked, stared up at him incredulously, and began to walk away. "You're so stupid."

He grabbed her arm. "No, please. I'm concerned. Lila seemed really bothered by her and I've never seen her this way before. I just want to understand."

Alya shook her head and recited Marinette's sort-of-true excuse for being possessive over Adrien. "Marinette has lived in Paris her whole life. As one should expect, she doesn't take a liking to new people.New people are annoying. Especially ones that show up in your city and stir things up. She probably doesn't even realize what she's doing. I'll talk to her, okay. Just don't worry about it."

"Tell me if you figure anything out, okay?" He asked quietly after a moment.

"I will. Hey, and by the way, you should go apologize to Marinette."

"Oh yeah," He scratched the back of his neck and stuffed his hands into his pockets, smiling nervously. "I'll go do that."

Alya checked her watch. She had five minutes exactly to get to Master Fu's.

She tried not to look in too much of a hurry. "I gotta go. I'll see you later, Adrien."

"See you!" He called as she jogged away and down the street. She made it around the corner and glanced back to see him making his way to the bakery. She smirked to herself.

As she ran down the street, she ran into someone with their nose in a magazine, practically inhaling the gossip. She caught a glimpse of the front cover and halted in her tracks.

_Chloe's New Cronies?_

"Oh no."

 

"I'm here and I have a legitimate excuse!" Alya shouted, entering the shop at exactly four. She threw her phone into the basket and joined the others in the back.

"Punctuality, Alya." Fu chastised.

She panted. "Adrien stopped me after class. He had news about Lila."

Nino stepped down off the treadmill carefully, not wanting a repeat of last time. Alya would have pointed it out if she weren't so perplexed.

Chloe scoffed. "Save it. She probably just made up another story to be the center of attention again."

Alya didn't care if she and Chloe were supposed to be partners, she still hated her guts.  _What a heartless little-_ She narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "We're talking about, Lila, not you. And she almost killed herself last night."

Master Fu's eyebrows rose and Chloe nearly launched off the elliptical in shock. "What?"

"How does Adrien know?"

"Apparently his dad and Lila's parents are old friends." She elaborated.

"Oh, that explains a lot." Nino and Chloe said in unison. They glanced at each other before looking away quickly.

Alya nodded in agreement and added, "I'm hoping to catch Ladybug tonight and talk to her about it."

"Let's hope everything turns out okay." Nino said, running a hand through his hair.

Chloe quickly changed the subject, red-faced. "On another note, we still have the necklace mystery to solve. Anyone find out anything about that?"

Alya became quiet and Master Fu spoke up, "No need to worry about that."

"What? Why?" Nino asked. "Is there something I'm missing? Because last time I checked, someone producing an exact copy of a Miraculous was a pretty big deal."

"I have my reasons." He said simply.

Chloe demanded. "Why can't you tell us?"

"There is no need for you to know." He growled quietly.

"We're Miraculous holders too!" She defended. "We deserve-"

"End of discussion." He clipped harshly. "I want you all to do Darebee _Alter Ego_ and _Busy Day_ five times each, then go fifteen minutes on the elliptical on level 6. When you're finished with all that, you may leave. I have some business to attend to so stay quiet. I will see you all early tomorrow morning."

He flew out of the room without another word, leaving the trio more confused than ever. Chloe huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from them.

"What the hell is up with him?" Nino asked. "We had clear clues right there in front of us. We were onto something. How can we just 'not worry about it'?"

Alya stared at Adrien's two best friends helplessly.  _Poor Adrien._

"Master Fu has his reasons, guys." She said quickly. "Let's just get this over with."

Nino cocked his head in confusion and opened his mouth to speak but something shook the building. They scrambled to the window over the pulsating earth and peeked out the curtains.

A nearby window was smashed and they jumped. Some civilians panicked and dissipated as fast as they could, fleeing to the buses and trains, or else just down side streets. Flashes of anger, jeers, and shouting could be heard even from inside. Alya's heart pounded.

"Looks like Master Fu's business is gonna have to wait. Hawkmoth's released another akuma."

"Screw this!" Alya said running for the door, seeing the perfect opportunity to get out of there. "I am NOT missing another attack."

That wasn't the reason at all.

"Alya, don't!" Nino grabbed her arm desperately. "Fu is going to be furious!"

She shook him off. "Yeah, well guess what?"

"What?"

"He can suck it."

He gaped and she pushed past him.

"Peace out, girl scouts!" She called to them, grabbing her phone. Fu rushed out from the back room, Nino and Chloe following, appalled. He tried to stop her but she was already out the door and down the street.

Despite how often Master Fu told her to clear her mind, it never worked. She couldn't stand to stay in that shop any longer. She felt bad for disobeying her mentor but, her thoughts were practically eating her away. She needed to get back in the game and clear her mind with her usual and favorite retreat, blogging. 

_Besides,_ She thought to herself with a smirk _. I've been gone too long and the Ladyblog's not the Ladyblog without Alya Cesaire._

She arrived at the scene only moments before Ladybug and Chat Noir. She always watched the akuma fight, but she's never really watched the heroes themselves. Maybe it's her new training that's giving her this special eye.

The two looked troubled. Nothing like they did that one afternoon only seven days prior. There is no pleasure in their faces, as she never expected there to be, and that night there would be tears.

She caught herself with the thought. A week. So much could happen in just seven days.

 

The akuma attack ended up taking three hours. And boy did she need those three hours. It sounded terrible but akuma fights were her therapy. Maybe it was because after a year of akumas, Ladybug and Chat Noir, and all that, they were still the one thing that never ceased to thrill and amaze her. Only until recently with Volpina/Lila and whatnot, akuma attacks never bled into normal life. It was like an escape.

She was on her way home, speed-walking as the sky became darker and the streetlights switched on. Then suddenly, a flash of red appeared in the corner of her eye and she was scooped up into thin yet strong arms. The world rushed by in a blur and she knew the pain was coming. It went by fast, yet slow, almost suspended. She braced for impact before she realized it was Ladybug. 

A few seconds later, they set down on a random rooftop.

"A little warning next time, please." She panted for air, leaning on the door to the stairwell for balance. She looked up to see the spotted heroine, eyes rimmed with red and tears streaming down her face. They embraced.

"Lila..." She hiccuped. "She almost jumped. I never wanted this. I-"

The two sat down on the ledge and Alya went to let go, but Ladybug only held her tighter. Her voice cracked with emotion. "Please... I haven't had anyone to talk to talk to. I can't do this on my own."

"Shhh. I know, girl. I'm going to help you. We're going to fix this, don't worry." Alya assured her.

Ladybug sobbed into her shoulder. "H-how? I've messed up so bad."

"Hey, your talking to #SocialMediaQueen, Alya Cesaire. I can fix anything." She gave her a small smile, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't seem to help.

Ladybug only nodded.

"I got an idea. Hang on a sec." She pulled out her phone and Facetimed Lila.

"Uh... hi, Alya." Lila answered, unsure.

"Hey, Lila. Are you busy?"

Lila looked around unsurely. "No. Not really."

"Is it okay if I stop by? We need to talk."

"Uh, yeah. I guess that's fine."

"Alright, see you in a few." She hung up and turned towards Ladybug. "Everything's going to be alright. Let's go meet Lila and figure this all out."

Alya rose and extended her hand for the girl. She was hesitant but took it. She took pity as she stood up and displayed a small, weak posture, curling into herself shamefully.

Ladybug picked her up and they headed over to Lila's, where she was standing on her balcony, keeping an eye out for Alya who she probably expected to be walking there, not by a bug.

Lila noticed them and crossed her arms. She adverted her eyes.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing Ladybug."

There was silence. Alya waited for one of them to say something but soon decided that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon and initiated it herself.

"You don't want us in your face," She held out her hands defensively. "That's cool. WE don't want to be here either. But for your state of well-being, Ladybug's emotional state, and the state of the _stupid_ public, we need to address this."

"Look," Ladybug stepped forward. "I saw you on the roof last night, I saw what you were about to do and I heard what you said."

Lila only lowered her eyes.

"Believe it or not," Ladybug's voice cracked. "I'm a normal teenage girl just like you. I have feelings and I make mistakes. The public has put me on a pedestal and makes me seem like I'm some mysterious, unattainable goddess. There's nothing magical or extraordinary about the me under this mask."

_There it is. From Master Fu and the hero herself and I still don't believe it._ Alya thought.

"The truth is that I was... jealous of you." She continued, not noticing that both Alya and Lila looked up in surprise. _Ladybug? Jealous?_ "I heard about you and your amazing life and then I saw you with Adrien Agreste and I just sort of... blanked. I abused the power of my Miraculous and look what I caused.

"There are times my brain fries up. It's no excuse I know; I own my behavior. I try to help, try to be good, and then a trigger is flicked. Then I strike out at someone and it ends up causing this huge, horrible butterfly effect. And in these moments I am least proud of who I am. 

"I will never forgive myself for what I did, and I understand if you won't either but this will never end if we don't do something about this now."

She inhaled and spoke with a harsh softness. "Like what?"

"W-We'll just take a picture of us t-together and Alya will put it on her L-Ladyblog." She explained, stuttering almost as bad as Marinette. "Hopefully, everyone will think it was just a big m-misunderstanding and let it all blow over."

Lila was silent for a long time then looked up at the rooftops and sighed. "For my own sake, I'll do it. But, this does not mean I forgive you and this does not mean we're friends."

Ladybug seemed relieved enough to cry but she held it in and nodded with her hands clasped in front of her shyly. Alya handed her phone to Ladybug. She held it up and flipped the camera around. Lila exhaled slowly and stepped into the frame, displaying a convincing smile.

Wow. It was really convincing. Alya was somewhat impressed.

She could've sworn there was some authenticity in there somewhere but the camera clicked and Lila pushed herself away from Ladybug, the smile disappearing.

They faced each other for a moment. The slap was as loud as a clap. It had been an open-handed smack and it had left a red welt behind. Ladybug staggered backward, clutching her face, but didn't speak.

Lila didn't spare a word and fled back inside.

Their eyes remained on the door. She didn't know what Ladybug was thinking but she knew her own thoughts for sure.

_Damn. She totally just decked her._

Also,

Soon, the most important mysteries of Alya's life were going to be solved. Who she was going to be in life and the phenomenon that was Ladybug. But this girl, she knew, she would never solve. 

Ladybug picked up Alya and delivered her to her house. The two stood for a moment on her balcony, staring at the horizon. The last sliver of sun dipped below the buildings.

"I love sunsets." Ladybug said quietly. "No matter what's going on, you can always count on it to end your crappy days."

"What about the good days?" Alya asked.

"Get back to me when I have one."

The hero threw her yoyo into the distance and hesitated.

"This doesn't mean everything is back to normal. You know that, right?" She glanced her painfully.

Ladybug only nodded and vanished into the night.

 

 

**FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 07:00.**

**MASTER FU**

"Another villain, another hero." Fu stated quietly. He set down his paintbrush and stared at the unfinished painting in front of him. Thought the edges curled in age, somehow, over the years, it had been preserved.

"Poor kids."

The light violin of a solemn song played through the gramophone and filled the air.

"Do you think we should tell him?"

"I don't know."

"He's smart, Master. He's going to figure it out sooner or later."

"I know, I know. I just-" Master Fu grabbed his hair and groaned. "He's so happy. I don't want to ruin it for him before I have to. It's just another thing he'll have on his shoulders. And you know how he is, he'll find a way to blame it all on himself." He thought for a moment. "Maybe I could talk to _him._ "

Wayzz set his hand on his master's shoulder and smiled helpfully. "We'll figure it out."

They both stared at the painting and without the other knowing, tears streaming down their faces. For this was the last one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comment, it means a lot!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. This chapter was a serious challenge to write. And before you criticize me for ending the Lila drama so suddenly, lemme just tell you what hooooo boy it is not over even in the slightest sense.


	5. episode one, the rise : chapter five , mister miyagi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which it seems like everyone is frustrated with mister miyag- i mean, master fu.

**THREE WEEKS LATER. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 18:30**

**ADRIEN**

"Do you wanna hang out this weekend?" He asked, tapping his foot to try and keep his excitement from showing through his voice. Most kids wouldn't get so apprehensive over hanging out with their friend, but Adrien obviously wasn't like most kids.

He didn't know why his father had been so lenient lately, but he was thankful.

"Sure. How about my place for some Mecha Strike III?"

"Sounds like a plan. Say seven?"

"You're funny."

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. Ten?"

"You're cutting it close but I'll deal. See you then."

"See you."

Adrien hung up and pumped his fist in victory. For once, everything was going his way. He checked the time and realized he only had five minutes before he was supposed to meet Ladybug in the park to hear Kaia's proposal.

He had ducked into an alleyway and was about to transform when Alya appeared from around the corner. He jumped nearly half his height.

"There you are! I've been looking for you all day!" Alya said, pulling him out from his hiding place, and not seeming to realize she practically gave him a heart attack.

"Hey, what's up?" He bounced on his toes and checked his watch again. Adrien was exceptional at small talk but conversations with Alya were never short.

"Why weren't you in class?"

"Photoshoots and stuff." He answered. At the thought, he made a mental note to pick up his classwork later. "So why were you looking for me?"

"I just wanted to check up on Lila. I guess she sorta associates me with Ladybug now cause she won't talk to me." She trailed off in thought but shrugged it off.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "She's doing a bit better. Obviously still a bit resentful, but that's understandable. The therapist told me she's seemed to have developed minor social anxiety, but again, understandable. I also noticed her and Marinette are getting along now."

"That's good. Friends are good. The public is still a bit iffy but at least the bullying has died down, at least from what I can tell." She looked at him for confirmation and he nodded.

"She doesn't believe the therapy is working but—" They both glanced at Lila as she came down the stairs at the front of the school in her tennis gear. They waved to her and she gave a weak, but genuine, smile. "—it definitely is."

"I wish I could've done more." He added.

She agreed wistfully. "Me too."

Adrien noticed Kaia heading toward the park in his peripheral vision. "Hey, sorry to cut this short, but I gotta go."

"No worries, dude."

"You're starting to sound a lot like Nino." He pointed out, winking. Her face contorted in disgust.

He made it seem like a joke, but in his mind, that was one of the most passive-aggressive things he'd ever said. He wasn't _mad_ at Alya for practically abandoning Marinette... just thoroughly annoyed along with Marinette herself. Besides, Adrien understood, for Nino had been doing the same thing lately.

He jogged off and quickly transformed before vaulting over to the park where Ladybug and Kaia were already waiting.

Ladybug set her hands on her hips. "Look who decided to show up."

"What can I say? I'm a busy guy."

"Thank you so much for meeting me here." Kaia expressed excitedly. "I don't have much time before I have to be somewhere and I'm sure it's the same for you so I'll be concise."

"Have a seat." Ladybug smiled politely and gestured to a picnic table.

"So, for these past few weeks, I've found and met with tons of green-thumb blogs and clubs here in Paris and did a bunch of polls and interviews. They want to make a difference, they really do." She assured them, folding her hands atop the table. "I can tell. But every time they come up with a plan, the members get lazy and don't follow through or they run into aginners. So, I brainstormed a bit and had an idea."

"Go on." The heroes nodded.

"What if we start an adopt-a-street program?" She suggested with an unsure smile.

The two eyed one another in consideration.

Kaia continued eagerly, eyes twinkling. She threw out her arms as if setting the scene right there in front of them. "Lead by the heroes of Paris themselves! I figured, hey, everyone loves and are willing to help Ladybug and Chat Noir no doubt, so if you both were the face of the project, maybe more people would go through with it..."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"You think so?"

"I'm sure it'll work. I mean, I wish Paris didn't need _us_ as their drive, but if that's what it takes." Chat Noir shook his head with an amused smile.

"It can't be just us three organizing this." Ladybug tapped her chin in thought. "How about you gather up as many Paris-nature-club leaders as possible and bring them to our next meeting in a few days."

"That way we can formulate and refine the idea with a few extra minds." He picked up. "And hopefully by next week, we can have the program up and running."

"I can do that." Kaia nodded.

"Say, Monday the eighth? Four o'clock?" Ladybug offered.

"Sounds good to me."

A phone rang. Kaia pulled hers from her pocket and turned around to answer the call. She turned a minute later, raking back her hair. "Thanks again for meeting me. I gotta go."

The three stood up. She shook Chat Noir's hand and turned to the heroine.

Ladybug took Kaia's hands in her own. "I think it's really amazing of you to be doing this for your city. We need a positive instigator like yourself."

"Likewise." Kaia smiled and Ladybug blinked in surprise delight.

The girl jogged off and down the street.

"I'm glad we're doing this." Ladybug said.

Chat Noir leaned back onto the trunk of a tree. "It feels great to be helping out in our city sans akumas parading around as if they own the place."

"It does." His partner nodded.

"Besides," He added with a crooked smile. "We already own it."

"Silly cat." She rolled her eyes. "Paris belongs to the people."

"Au contraire, my lady. Name one person who knows Paris better than us."

"Hmm. Valid point." Ladybug mused.

Chat Noir wrapped his arm around her and extended his baton so they sat high on a roof, looking out over _their_ city.

To witness the aerial view of the city at sunset was like being hailed by the angels, the lights stole your breath away in the most magical way possible. Down there were thousands of souls who's lights burned just as brightly as the artificial bulbs. The colors of the fading sun blended into her midnight pigtails. She kept her eyes on the horizon, a small smile dancing across her face. The lights reflected into her blue eyes.

He would call the scene before him beautiful, but even that wouldn't do it justice. This is something one can't describe or tell anyone about to share the experience, not even something you can capture in a photo. You can only know by experience, only seeing them through your eyes will you be able to see the beauty.

"We're on top of the world."  
  


 

 

**FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 19:45**

"Stop."

Adrien ignored his kwami and kept walking. He probably just saw something shiny in the window of a shop.

Plagg frowned and tugged on his holder's collar. "No, seriously, stop."

"What's wrong?" He asked. "I swear if you ask for Camembert-"

"No, no. Master Fu wants to see you."

He thought for a second. "The Great Guardian dude you talked about a while back?"

"Geez, you're starting to sound like Nino. But, yeah, the _Great Guardian dude_."

He cocked his head. "Why does he need to see me?"

"He told me."

"When?"

"Last night."

"What? How?"

"I left?" He said obviously. "Why else did you think I was so exhausted this morning?"

"I don't know, maybe because you're a lazy ass and you butcher your sleeping schedule playing COD every night?"

"Stupid. Kwami's don't need sleep. We enjoy it, but we don't _need_ it."

"Then why were you so exhausted?"

"I flew the entire way there without any Camembert."

"Yeah okay." Adrien rolled his eyes. "Where is Master Fu's anyway?"

"Just around this corner. The feng shui-looking place."

Adrien pulled open a door but was only greeted with a dance studio.

"This is Master Fu's?" He asked hesitantly, his eyes flicking to his kwami.

"Feng shui, not funk schway."

"Well, that does 'feng shui' look like."

"You are impossible. It's the next shop over, on the corner."

"Well how was I supposed to know. I speak Chinese, I don't know anything about what they do or anything like that."

Plagg opened his mouth to say something but Adrien called for his transformation. As he exited the alley he'd hid in, he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Part of language is culture." The new voice said wisely. He looked up to a short Asian man standing before him. The man had thin, graying hair combed back against his head, around his balding, mottled scalp. He had a gnarled face, a back slightly hunched, and the dark coffee eyes of a sage. 

"Are you Mister Miyag- Master Fu?" Chat Noir asked cautiously.

He smiled, thankfully for Chat Noir, not seeming to pick up on his mistake. "The one and only. Come with me." The man said, stepping inside. He followed.

The place was simple and peaceful. White and olive green walls decorated with ancient Chinese paintings and decor. All sorts of plants adorned the room, climbing up the walls and curling around the wooden ceiling beams. 

"Nice place." He complimented.

"Why, thank you, _Daniel_." Fu chuckled back.

Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck, ashamed. He cleared his throat. "Plagg said you wanted to see me?"

"Indeed."

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you exactly?"

"In this world or pertaining to you?"

"Pertaining to me." He said uncertainly.

"I am Master Fu, guardian of the Seven Miraculouses and their holders. I was the one who gave you your ring."

"Are you a Miraculous holder?"

"Yes I a...was." He said solemnly. "I _was_ a Miraculous holder. But alas, my days are over."

Sore subject. "You picked me to be Chat Noir?"

"I did."

"Cool, cool." Adrien looked around the room awkwardly.

After a moment, the man's eyes flicked behind him. "Ah, here comes Ladybug!"

"Ladybug's here?" He leapt to his feet and almost reached to fix his hair before he remembered that his hair was _supposed_ to be a mess.

"Of course." Master Fu said, an eyebrow risen. He could've sworn he saw a smirk, but he couldn't be sure.

"Hey, Fu. Hey, Chat Noir." She waved, stepping inside. She turned the 'we're open!' sign on the door around to 'sorry, we're closed' and joined them.

"What up, LB?"

"Take a seat, you two." Fu instructed. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it."

Ladybug just looked at him and Master Fu laughed.

"No, no. You aren't in trouble." He assured them.

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged looks. "Then why _are_ we here?"

Fu's face grew dark. "Things are changing. And fast. Wayzz, the turtle kwami, has sensed a new evil rising around us. A force darker than Hawkmoth."

"Darker than Hawkmoth?" Chat Noir asked quietly.

Master Fu screwed his eyes shut. "I'm not saying Hawkmoth has a right to do what he does, but he _does_ have a reason. He experienced grief and became emotionally unstable and believes what he's doing will fix his problem. Our new opponent, however, is a psychopath. All they want is control, power, and destruction. They have no reason and won't let anyone stand in their way."

Master Fu looked at the heroes. "They will not hesitate to kill you."

Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at one another and gulped.

"That's our problem. See, I was stupid and greedy and didn't pass on my Miraculous though I knew my days were long gone. I didn't sense this evil in time so you two didn't get your proper training and experience."

"What? When are they coming?"

"With the rate at which their power is increasing, I'm guessing three months."

"I'm sorry, I thought you said _three months_."

"We are two scrawny fifteen-year-olds. How are we supposed to defeat this...this...psychopath?!" Ladybug sputtered out incredulously.

At that, Chat Noir would've protested with a 'hey I'm not scrawny' pout, but he was genuinely terrified. He'd been dealing with akumas for over a year and they always wanted the same thing, their Miraculouses. But not one of them had ever threatened to kill them. Sure, they'd come close to doing it, but it was never their main goal or focus.

"That's what I called you here to talk about. I've been privately training your new teammates for these past several weeks. And now I think it's time that I begin training with you two as well."

"Woah, woah, woah." Chat Noir held out his hands. "New teammates? When will we meet them? Who are they?"

"You'll meet them soon enough. In fact, I would like you guys to start training them. As for identities, they aren't ready for that. They've only had a smattering of the training one needs to be akuma-resistant. We can't risk them outing your identities. They only know each other's already because we have so little time to acquaint them to their new powers... Which is my own fault."

There was an unexpected silence before Chat Noir spoke.

"Is that why Ladybug and I can't reveal ourselves yet?"

Ladybug and Master Fu tensed. They'd talked about it before.

"You and Ladybug are both extremely powerful and I can't make a mistake again. I want you both to be totally in control before you take the final step and reveal yourselves." He explained. A loud silence rang through the air and he spoke again. "Come here tomorrow afternoon to get acquainted with your new teammates."

Master Fu cleared his throat and averted his eyes to look at anything but the heroes. "You are dismissed."

He had a million more questions, but Fu stood and walked out. If he'd walked any faster it could be classified as an escape.

He and Ladybug exchanged a quick goodbye and parted ways. Chat Noir took his time on his way home and dwelled in his thoughts. Which probably wasn't a good idea but he did it anyway.

He couldn't help but think that it was his fault. He'd been wanting to reveal himself since the beginning, unknowing that he was the problem all along.

 

 

 

**FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 17:55**

**ALYA**

Alya wasn't stupid. She'd picked up on what Adrien had implied.

She'd been doing her best to spend time with Marinette, she really had. But with the Ladyblog, Lila, Master Fu's, trying to bond with Chloe, babysitting, and school, it wasn't her first priority.

 _Maybe it should be._ She thought to herself, but she knew that wasn't the way to go.

She shot Marinette a text.

_Alya: wanna hang out this weekend?_

It was a stupid idea. Something's probably going to come up and she's going to have to bail on her... again. But it was worth a try.

_Marinette: busy._

"Busy?" Alya said aloud. She grabbed at her hair in frustration and turned off her phone. Fine. If Marinette was busy, so be it. To hell with their weekly sleepovers. Deep down, she knew her friend was just doing exactly what she had for the past several weeks.

She stood outside Fu's and tried to clear her mind. Though it never worked, she did it anyway. Hopefully one day it would because boy did she want it to.

She stepped inside to find Nino, Chloe, and Master Fu taking a seat on the pillows around the coffee table. She took one herself and exchanged worried looks with Nino.

"What's going on? Can we hurry this up?" Chloe complained. "I have places to be."

"Patience, Chloe." Fu said, only to have Chloe huff, crossing her arms.

"You all have been working hard these past weeks since you began, but in all honesty, I'm not seeing a change. Physically, sure. But this training isn't just physical. You are supposed to be training mentally, emotionally, and with each other. Bonding with yourself and others. Specifically Alya and Chloe."

"What?!"

"You've got to be kidding me?" Alya growled, standing to her feet and throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I don't know how you expect me to get along with someone like her!"

"Not just get along with." He clarified. "You two are Vixen and Queen Bee. You are teammates, friends, and now family."

"Never." Alya said, glaring. "How could you pick someone like her, anyway? How does _she_ have the capacity to be a Miraculous holder?"

She turned toward the blonde. "You don't belong here and you never will!"

"Alya!" Nino chided, standing and lying a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off roughly. "How are you on her side?!"

"I'm not on anyone's side." Nino defended.

"You see what she does to Marinette. Does that not matter to you?"

"Of course it does! But-"

"I thought we were friends, Nino."

Alya practically shook with anger. She wanted to scream at Chloe, at Master Fu for being so unreasonable, at Nino for being so...so indifferent about it all. They acted as if Chloe wasn't the she-devil in an ugly blonde wig.

She could explain all damn day and they still wouldn't get it. Her face became rigid, jaw clamped tight, teeth grinding.

Every memory and every story flooded through her mind. So many years of subtle bullying that sunk deep into her. And that was the breaking point of her patience.

_Then she reached out and slapped her across the face._

But she didn't. Oh boy, she wanted to, but not more than she wanted to be a good hero. Good heroes don't slap people. Good heroes are also forgiving but she wasn't even close to achieving that yet. The fact that she had the self-control to not deck Chloe was a major victory, for that was all she could do at the moment.

 _Find control, calm, and purpose._ Alya reminded herself of Fu's guidance, taking a deep breath.

She flicked her eyes around the room before snatching her phone from the basket and storming out.

"Alya." Master Fu said sternly.

She stopped in the doorway but didn't look back. "Yes?"

"I expect you to be here early tomorrow morning with a clear head."

"I will be."

 

 

**FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 18:00.**

**CHLOE**

_No one has ever cared about my feelings, so why would I care about theirs? That's just how it is. That's just how it's been. My philosophy has always been the same. I do what I please and I am indifferent if whether or not I have to fight my way to get it. Either way, I just don't care._

_I never thought to care. One could argue that I never thought at all, but that's not true. I know full well what I'm doing._

_Never once have I been at war. Physically or mentally. Until now._

_I'm teetering on the brink of living high effortlessly by pushing others down and actually working hard to reach the same high._

_I'm getting stronger. I can feel it. It's a bittersweet feeling. I've never liked change and this is a huge one._

 

 

**FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 22:13**

**ADRIEN**

Winter had begun to fade much earlier than usual, but he wasn't complaining. He liked lingering a bit longer after patrol ended to enjoy his voluntary solitude.

Being alone at home felt different than being alone as Chat Noir, but he wasn't sure why. He had a couple theories, but they were all just so... pitiful towards himself. He didn't need to be pitied. Not by anyone and certainly not by himself.

Chat Noir stopped at Master Fu's shop on his way home from patrol. He cautiously pushed through the front door and spotted the man in the corner, illuminated by dim string lights hung along the ceiling of the darkened room, pouring a cup of tea. 

He'd had only been to Master Fu's once before, but the fact that the curtains were shut bothered him. The vibe the shop, and Fu himself, gave off was open and natural. It just didn't seem like a curtains-closed kind of place. 

"Master Fu?" He said quietly.

Fu whipped around with wide eyes and scurried over, nearly pushing him out of the door. "Oh, Chat Noir! What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming by to talk to you about today." He ran a hand through his hair, exasperatingly. "I was wondering if we could discuss the whole identity thing. I have a few questions."

"Actually, now is really not a good time. I-"

Chat Noir's eyes flicked to the hallway where a figure emerged. He squinted.

"... _Nino?_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, yes, i know that chloe point of view was a bit random but i want to fit her redemption arc in here without the plot completely focusing on it.
> 
> also, adriens little "only know by experience" speech will show up multiple times jsyk.
> 
> thx for reading :^)


	6. episode one, the rise: chapter six, existential crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mind freaking blown. thanks wayzz.

**SATURDAY,**   **FEBRUARY 6, 11:00.**

**MARINETTE**

"Unbelievable." Marinette deadpanned.

Adrien gave her a crooked grin and stuck his hands in his pockets.

The boy had appeared at her back door at exactly eleven, just as promised.

She stared at him for a moment, partly in disbelief, partly to admire him in the late morning sun, before sighing and moving so he could step inside.

She tried to guide him up the stairs before her parents could say or imply anything, but he insisted on greeting them. She leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms, watching him interact with her parents.

Marinette couldn't look at him like that very often. She'd been spending a lot of time with him lately (due to Alya and Nino's absentness in their both their lives) but still never  _really_  had the chance. It was moments like the one in front of her in which she could just watch.

The soft sun streamed through the sheer gold curtains at the front of the shop and blended with the baby pink theme, warming the bakery more than the ovens ever would. Her parents and the love of her life stood before her, filled with happiness and life.

It was perfect.

Tom caught her eye and waved her over. He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tight. "And how's my Mare-nare doing this fine morning?"

"Absolutely wonderful, papa." She admitted with a kiss to his cheek.

The bakery doorbell rang with a customer. Sabine grabbed a small plate of macarons from the counter and handed them to Adrien, shooing them away. The teens raced upstairs and into Marinette's room.

The Mecha Strike III main screen was already loaded and ready to be played. They took a seat, took the controllers, each taking a macaron, and began to play.

Marinette leaned over and turned up music on her stereo. This playlist had become their battle music. It brought in total focus and determination in the both of them.

Adrien had gotten so much better since the first time they'd played together, often giving her a run for her money, but he still hadn't beaten her. The better he got, the more at ease he became with facing her. The first time they played, he was leaned forward, cursing under his breath, and button-mashing like no tomorrow.

Now he would talk and smile and when he did, the dimples on the corner of his mouth deepens. That smile would light up his entire face. She was so in love with those eyes no matter how dark and burdened they were, she couldn't seem to figure it all out. She wanted to know him more, to know what secret lies in him, but the closer they got, the more confused her heart became. They became friends, inseparable, but nothing more than that.

And in that moment, Marinette was okay with that.

But she was  _not_  okay with being beaten.

While she was busy staring at him, he'd delivered the final blow and beat her. He launched out of his chair, pumping his fist and whooping in victory so loud that people in China could probably hear him.

She stared the screen before her in disbelief. She'd been playing Mecha Strike since it first came out when she was five years old. She never lost.

The screen flashed  _ADRIEN WINS, MARINETTE LOSES_  in bold red letters.

_MARINETTE LOSES._

She resisted the urge to punch through her computer.

"...Marinette?" Adrien leaned in front of her, staring worriedly with those beautiful green eyes of his... the eyes that distracted her into losing in the first place!

She lunged at him but his reflexes were those of a cat. He jumped out of the way, only to have her dive at him again. He parried, causing her lose to her balance and stumbled into her chaise. She leapt onto it and growled down at him. He cowered in fear and scrambled for the trapdoor, nearly falling down the stairs. She raced after him, screaming.

He made a wrong turn, running himself into the back of the sectional. Marinette tackled him, dragging them both over the couch and to the ground.

Her jaw hit the floor so hard it numbed her face but she ignored it. They rolled around on the floor, back and forth, Marinette attacking and Adrien throwing in his all to defend.

He managed to pry her off of him and somersaulted away. Marinette ran up the couch and jumped off the back, picking up major air. She flew past him, grabbing his overshirt and taking him down with her, both laughing hysterically.

They landed at the feet of Sabine, who stood with her hands on her hips, staring down at them with a face contorted in disappointment.

"Marinette, we talked about this. You've got to stop beating up your friends."

They both grinned sheepishly back up at her.

"Maybe you two should take a break from video games." Sabine suggested, walking over and opening up the living room curtains. "It's a beautiful day outside."

They reluctantly agreed and headed to the park next door.

"I apologize for beating you up." Marinette spoke in monotone.

"I accept your apology." Adrien replied flatly, eyes half-lidded.

They burst out in laughter and took a seat at one of the benches.

"You should've seen the combo I used to beat you. Flying hyperstorm! Adrien-style, booyah!"

Marinette rolled her eyes and looked at him to say something but her nervousness that she thought she got over came back and she averted her eyes.

 _No,_ She told herself.  _Don't ruin it._ She forced herself to look back at him to see that he was staring out at the park before them, smiling like it was an old memory.

It was a thought to say something but changed her mind and leaned back onto the bench, staring at the shining copper statue of the Lucky Duo.

It still felt so surreal to be a superhero. It was easy for her to lie and act like she wasn't Ladybug cause most of the time, she didn't feel like her. It wasn't a confidence issue. Just the fact that she had magical earrings that gave her super-human abilities. If she thought about it too much, she'd explode.

She was jerked from her thoughts when an unmistakable tune was heard from Adrien's mouth.

It was Jagged Stone's tribute to Ladybug.

She couldn't help but smile and hum along. Adrien's smile grew which, in turn, made Marinette's grow as well. Soon they were two dorks in the park, bumping shoulders, and singing at the top of their lungs.

They faltered near the end of the song to laugh.

"I'm so happy Jagged Stone wrote that." Adrien admitted.

"Ditto."

"I'm also glad he's a Ladynoir shipper."

Marinette giggled into her hand.

Adrien closed his eyes and sang softly. "Oh, oh, oh. Oh no, you'll never know. Oh, oh, oh, my love can only grow."

 

 **SATURDAY,**   **FEBRUARY 6, 11:00.**

**ALYA**

Fu locked Alya and Chloe in the lounge room and made them have tea.

Alya was  _thoroughly_  annoyed, but after a long reevaluation session with herself in the shower that morning and a long conversation with Chloe, she felt better. Her yearning to kick the girl's prissy blonde ass was still there, no doubt, but she figured she was going to have to come to terms with it all sooner or later.

Usually, Alya would remove herself from the situation, but she couldn't do that this time. When Master Fu came to check on them, she left the room feeling somewhat relieved. Forcing herself to talk and work things out had actually helped. Alya didn't want to hate Chloe, she really didn't. She wasn't that kind of person.

She decided to try her best to make good with Chloe. The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she became, so she took her mind off of it by kicking Nino's ass.

Alya side-kicked said boy in the gut and he doubled over, giving herself the chance to shove him to the ground. From the ground he retaliated with a kick to her jaw, sending her staggering backward. He kipped up from the ground, landing in an iron-horse stance.

He sent a spinning backfist to her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her, following up immediately with a 360 kick to the head, which only grazed the top of her sparring helmet.

"You're losing it, Alya. Keep up." Master Fu warned.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" She grunted back. She tried to roundhouse but he caught her foot and she fell, landing on the floor with a thud. Before she could get back up, Nino kneeled and held an elbow to her throat and winked, ripping the mock-akumatized-necklace off.

Alya collapsed back onto the floor, not at all anxious to get up.

"Up, up, up!" Fu said but she stayed put.

"You don't even know how many times I wish I could do that in battle." A familiar voice chuckled.

And suddenly time slowed down.

Alya leapt to her feet and spun around to see none other than Ladybug and Chat Noir standing in the doorway. The duo saw the shock register on her face before she could hide it. A small smile played on their lips, she guessed they get that a lot. Recently, she had witnessed the heroine at her worst but she could've sworn that the Ladybug in front of her was a completely different person.

She stood tall and confident, hands on her hips, along next to Chat Noir. The sun streaming through the door behind them gave the illusion that they were glowing but the duo radiated so much power together, she could've sworn they actually were.

"So this new gang?" Chat Noir asked, stepping forward to shake hands with each of the trio. He shook Nino's hand a little quicker.

"Take a seat everyone." Fu urged the group towards the coffee table.

"I can't believe its Ladybug! In the flesh!" Chloe squirmed on her pillow.

"Hey, Chat Noir's here too." Said Nino, but she didn't seem to hear him. Chat Noir just smiled back awkwardly.

Alya smirked at the hyperventilating Chloe and was tempted to make a very gay comment but decided against it.

"So how's training been going?" Ladybug asked.

"How did you guys get through it alive. This dude is ruthless." Nino jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Fu.

Chat Noir chuckled. "We didn't even get training."

Alya's jaw dropped. "So you guys are just naturally badass?"

"Yep."

Fu snorted.

"Okay, okay." Chat admitted, sticking his tongue out at the man. "Ladybug was in gymnastics for the better part of her life and I do a plethora of after-school sports."

Master Fu passed out cups of tea to the teens. "All jokes aside, you two were chosen for the Bug and Cat Miraculouses for a reason even I can barely comprehend."

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked.

Wayzz flew out from behind Fu's back excitedly. "Ladybug and Chat Noir were born to be, well... Ladybug and Chat Noir. You see, the Bug and Cat are Yin and Yang, opposites. When a new generation of heroes is upon us, the spirits of the past heroes and Yin and Yang search the soul pools for not only worthy and compatible holders, but soulmates."

Alya could tell from their expressions that even the heroes didn't know this. 

"Soulmates?" Chat Noir leaned forward in interest, a hint of pink beneath his mask.

"Two souls molded from the same soul pool at the same exact time. You don't see that every dynasty. That's why Ladybug and Chat Noir are so special. Think about it, two souls out of quadrillions!" Wayzz twirled around in the air enthusiastically.

"Quadrillions? But there are only seven billion people on the planet." Chloe said.

Fu held up a finger matter-of-factly. "But quadrillions of  _souls_. Not every soul is a human being."

"These two here," Wayzz continued. "Their souls are thousands of years old."

"Thousands of years..." Ladybug gulped, holding a hand over her chest as if trying to take hold of her soul.

"You two possess the very souls of the first Ladybug and Chat Noir within you! Not to mention pieces of Yin and Yang themselves!"

Master Fu snatched Wayzz out of the air and pushing him out of sight. "Alright, Wayzz, we don't need anyone having an existential crisis."

"Too late for that." Chat Noir said, grabbing his hair, eyes blown wide. Ladybug made an explosion sound with her mouth and flopped onto her back, staring at the empty space above her in a daze.

But Alya wasn't done. "So, it's just the Bug and Cat who are that special?"

"I'd like to say there's some intricate process to finding the Turtle, Fox, Bee and so on, but it's just a gut feeling to find you guys." Fu shrugged.

"How special." Chloe said flatly.

"Hey, that's still out of seven billion." Master Fu defended.

"Okay!" Nino stood up suddenly. "I'm starting to question the universe more than usual. How about we show Ladybug and Chat Noir some things we've learned."

"But I have so many more questions!" Alya protested.

Master Fu chuckled and gently shooed her into the other room with the others. "Somethings are better left a mystery. Go on join the others, Vixen."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I was listening to classics from the 70's while writing this and it took my heart and soul to not write Marinette and Adrien rocking out to Blue Swede. [I'm probably gonna fit it in here somewhere. Adrien's mom and Mari's dad are totally gonna be America 70's music junkies, deal with it.])
> 
> Also, sorry if the chapter quality is getting gradually worse haha. My psychologist told me the CEO of my brain is dead so that's why I can't ever finish anything. I'm doing my very best to get over that problem. I've hit THAT point in writing so right now I'm just trying to write the next chapter and get the story done, I'll probably revise it little by little later. Thanks!! -Kaia


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